We just learned that the Russian phenomenon secretly visited the city of Philadelphia, as well as the Flyers' facilities, to meet the team's management.
GM Daniel Brière confirmed he fell under the charm of the young man, who made him seriously consider moving up in the draft to select him earlier.
Some rumors circulated that Brière had discussed with the Canadiens to move up to the 5th pick, in return for possibly the 7th and 24th choices of this draft. In the end, a happy outcome for the Quebecer, as they still managed to get the promising forward at the 7th overall pick, without paying to move up.
So, contrary to all top-10 teams who only met the young man once, in a very short timeframe, the Flyers were able to have two special moments with Michkov, one of which surely lasted much longer, directly in Philly.
One thing is for sure, the Flyers have made a major move for their rebuild, as many experts believe the Russian prodigy is a potential generational talent.
If he becomes one, Philly will have not only gotten one of the best players in the league at the 7th pick, but they will have stolen from the teams drafting earlier. It's clear that the Canadiens' executives will be kicking themselves.
POLL | ||
Do you believe the Canadiens should have picked Matvei Michkov at the 5th spot? | ||
Yes | 151 | 63.7 % |
No | 86 | 36.3 % |
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