Flyers GM Danny Brière provides updates on Matvei Michkov and clarifies previous ‘step back’ comment

General manager Danny Brière walked into the press room on the second floor of the Flyers Training Center on Tuesday morning for his annual preseason media news conference.

The room is lined with windows on one side, and below, as he answered questions for approximately 20 minutes, players went through drills. But these weren’t the rookies, who had been in camp since Friday and were skating in the afternoon; these were the big boys in presumably their final captain’s practice before they officially hit the ice Thursday for the fourth training camp of Brière’s tenure.

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Among those on the ice were forwards Owen Tippett and Noah Cates, two players whose seasons ended early due to injury, and new guys like goaltender Joseph Woll.

Here are the major topics the GM touched on before Thursday.

Coming off a roller coaster sophomore campaign, Matvei Michkov has acknowledged several times that he did not prepare properly entering last season, and it affected his game.

Although he played better following the Olympic break, finishing with 20 goals and 51 points in 81 regular-season games, Michkov was scratched in the playoffs, struggled with the pace, and had just one assist in eight postseason contests.

But Brière said that the winger is walking around the training center with “a different swagger” right now and wants to “prove that last year was just a little hiccup.” Through social media posts, pictures, and interviews with Russian media, it appears the 21-year-old also had a different mindset preparing for Year 3.

One video posted on X features Michkov speaking about a member of the Flyers’ training staff, Lorne Goldenberg, who was hired in May as a performance development coach, going to Russia over the summer to work with him. According to Brière, it was Michkov and not the organization who requested that.

“I believe so,” Brière said when asked if he learned and responded well to how last season went.

“I think we saw him mature as the season went on last year. Everybody has a different path. You all wish that guys were all like Sidney Crosby, and they were at 16 years old a total pro. But the reality is, those are really rare.

“Everybody has a different path along the way. But what I was excited to see was, I think his maturity level increased as the season went on. In the offseason, seeing him here, he’s got a pep in his step. He feels good. He looks good. So I’m excited about Matvei’s season.”

Unlike last year, the Flyers are no longer allowed to conduct fitness testing, with a new collective bargaining agreement going into effect at midnight on Tuesday. The CBA also has new rules regarding contracts, as teams are no longer allowed to sign players to eight-year deals; seven years is now the max. For Michkov, it is a big year as he will be a restricted free agent come July 1. The GM said there have been talks, but they are not close to signing an extension.

“He’s a polarizing player, his personality and everything. He’s been a superstar since he was 14, 15 years old. I think he’s comfortable in the spotlight; that’s just who he is,” Brière said when asked about Michkov maybe having a quieter year off the ice.

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“But yeah, definitely things were overblown, and it goes both ways. They’re probably going to be overblown when it’s good; they’re going to be overblown when it’s bad. I think a lot of it is his personality. He’s very polarizing, and I think it’s not all that bad because he strikes me as one of those guys who, when things are good and he’s in the spotlight, he’s not afraid of the big moment.

“So, I try to see the positive in it, but … I thought last year was overblown in his case.”

On July 1, the GM said: “We took a big step forward last year, and there’s a chance, a good chance, that we take a little bit of a step back this year. We’re ready for that. But I’m excited where this young group of guys are going.”

On Tuesday, he softened the blow of “a step back.” Brière said he didn’t explain himself properly, stating the foundation of it was that he did not want the young players to be complacent because they made it to the NHL and had a good start. Although he knows it’s a young team, he doesn’t want the players to take a step backward in their development.

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“Today the goal is to make the playoffs,” he said later. “The most important part for me, and that’s where you’re [the media] not going to like my answer, but we hope our young guys take another step. And if they do, I think we’ll be very competitive.

“I think last year going into the season, we were just hoping to be competitive. We were hoping to be in the mix, in or out of the playoffs, was going to be a good season. I see us as more competitive than we were last year, and a better team than we were last year, so that’s where it leaves us. Time will tell, but certainly I’m hoping that after the players tasted the playoffs last year, and that they’re eager to get back there once again.”

The complacency message goes for rising stars, like Porter Martone, Alex Bump, and Denver Barkey, and the veterans, too. Despite a shortened camp and the roster seemingly largely set, Brière is expecting some battles for spots, not just in the lineup but also for added responsibilities like the power play — which he said coach Rick Tocchet and his staff devoted toward trying to figure out how to pull it out of the NHL basement — and penalty kill.

“We talked about the power play,” he said. “I said it last year, I expect our penalty kill unit to be better. So don’t get complacent. Don’t think that because you’ve been on special teams the last three or four years, that you’re automatically going to be on it. We have a lot of guys fighting for positions. So that’s kind of the message. Not just about roster spots; it’s also about responsibility within the roster.”

Brière said forward Nikita Grebenkin’s status for the start of training camp is a little up in the air and he could “miss the first couple days of camp.” He said the winger, who suffered an upper-body injury in March and missed the rest of the season and playoffs, “had a little flare-up last week.” Grebenkin spent the entire 2025-26 season in the NHL, a first in his career, and had four goals and 14 points in 55 games. He is the only player, Brière said, who, as of publish time, could miss the start of things on Thursday.