Flyers GM Danny Brière on the start of the Matvei Michkov era: ‘Patience is the key here’

Flyers general manager Danny Brière said he didn’t expect the Flyers to do much Monday when free agency opened.

His prediction proved partially true, as the Flyers extended the contracts of two veterans and refrained from star-hunting. Winger Garnet Hathaway inked a two-year, $2.4 million deal, while defenseman Erik Johnson signed a one-year, $1 million contract.

But the Flyers did make one major move by signing Matvei Michkov to his entry-level contract, officially making the Russian winger a member of the organization.

Brière met with the media on Monday afternoon after the ink was dry. Here are the main takeaways from his remarks:

While Michkov signed his entry-level contract a day before development camp opened, Brière does not expect the 19-year-old star at the Flyers Training Center in Voorhees until the full team training camp in September. If Michkov arrives earlier than that, it would be his decision, Brière said.

“There’s a lot of logistics that need to be figured out, especially from his end on immigration, for example, when he comes over and trying to get acclimated here, so I don’t have much news on that,” he said.

While Brière said Michkov will have to “earn” his ice time once he arrives, he expects the winger to start the season in the NHL rather than in Lehigh Valley.

And while Michkov is one of the most hyped Flyers prospects in the last decade, Brière is cautious not to place too many expectations on his shoulders too early.

“Patience is the key here,” Brière said. “It’s going to take a little bit of time. You look at guys, you can start with Connor Bedard. He was a good player, we all saw that, but there’s a learning curve that you have to go through. And that’s what we expect with Matvei.”

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Michkov is not fluent in English, but the team will provide him with a tutor to help him acclimate to the United States. Slava Kuznetsov, the Flyers’ skating coach, is also available to provide translation to help him communicate with his teammates and coaches.

“The players want to help and he’s going to be surrounded, we’ll make sure,” Brière said. “Having Egor Zamula and Ivan Fedotov around as well, we’re hoping will help this case and feel better at home here.”

One of the major question marks surrounding Michkov’s arrival in Philadelphia is how he will interact with the Flyers’ fiery coach, John Tortorella. Brière said Tortorella was excited to learn of Michkov’s accelerated timeline, and he looks forward to seeing the pair work together.

“That’s one of the things that I’m most excited about, too, the chance for Matvei to learn from a coach like Torts, and I know he’s going to coach him the right way, just like he does everybody else,” Brière said. “He’s going to be tough on him; he’s going to be fair. And he’s going to teach him the right way. ... I’m really excited about that matchup.”

Tortorella is no stranger to benching or scratching players whose play isn’t up to his standards — even a veteran captain — and he has publicly called out his team before. In the past, Brière has said he leaves coaching decisions up to Tortorella and trusts his judgment.

Decisions regarding Michkov’s ice time will be no different.

“Torts is hired to coach the team. So John is going to be in charge of the ice time,” Brière said. “And if he needs to scratch him because he doesn’t play the right way or doesn’t listen, Coach has the authority to do that.”

While free agency has been relatively quiet for the Flyers so far, it doesn’t mean they’re closing up shop. Brière said he has been having “some discussions with a few teams on a few different things” regarding potential trades. He declined to provide an update on the status of Travis Konecny’s extension talks.

The Flyers’ stagnation during free agency this year is largely because of their salary-cap situation, with a lot of space dedicated to dead money. This season the Flyers will have $7,596,429 tied up in buyouts and retained salaries, plus a cap hit of $3.85 million in buried salary with goalie Cal Petersen.

The decision to extend the contracts of Hathaway and Johnson was because of their veteran presence and the leadership they bring.

“We want to surround [Michkov] with good veterans,” Brière said. “It’s important to have a good nucleus of veterans that can talk to him about what it takes to be a pro in the NHL.”

The Flyers narrowly missed the playoffs last season without Michkov. While his addition could help them win a few more games and possibly even get over that hump, that doesn’t mean the rebuild is close to finished.

“At the end of the day, we’re not trying to build a team to make the playoffs. We’re trying to build a team to win the Stanley Cup,” Brière said. “When we take a step forward, it’s to become closer to being a contender. And that’s what every move is made for. But do I hope we’re in the running? Absolutely.

“The atmosphere of playing a playoff game in Philadelphia is pretty amazing. So I can’t wait for this team to taste it again.”