Keith Jones interview Part 2: Matvei Michkov, Flyers’ timeline, and a message for the fans

"We’re going to get this thing figured out together. When I say together, it’s not just us, it’s them. They play a big part in this," Jones said of Flyers fans.

Flyers president Keith Jones is happy with the team's start and positive momentum.Read moreTyger Williams / Staff Photographer

by Jackie Spiegel

Published Nov. 30, 2023, 5:00 a.m. ET

In Part 2 of our two-part interview with first-year Flyers president Keith Jones, we asked Jones about John Tortorella, the team’s young players, top prospects, and luring back Flyers fans who have grown disinterested amid all the losing the past few seasons. Part 1 of that conversation can be found below.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Q. Several prospects — Cutter Gauthier, Matvei Michkov, we’ll get into him a little bit more specifically, Massimo Rizzo — have been having tremendous years. Any surprises? Anything in particular you like seeing right now?

A: There’s been a lot of guys that are contributing at a lot of different levels of hockey, whether they’re in college or playing in the KHL or playing in the OHL, WHL. We have players all over the world and we’re keeping track of all of them. We’re watching them or picking up their games on satellite. We’re really watching players do things that we’re expecting that they’ll do within their growth and there’s a lot of positives out there. So there’s a close eye on the guys that have been drafted, some more recent draft picks, like Michkov and [Oliver] Bonk from last season. Really pleased with the way that they’re progressing. But we have some players that have been, you know, drafted a little deeper in the draft in kind of the Noah Cates department and some later-round picks like Hunter McDonald. He’s one of those kids that’s been injured at Northeastern but should be back playing pretty soon and is another guy that we think is a bright part of our future.

Q. Speaking of Cates, he has moved up and down the lineup. Where do you see his ceiling?

A: I think he’s an outstanding player. I think he’s a really valuable asset for us. I think he does a lot of things extremely well. No. 1 is that he’s an outstanding defensive player, has a great stick, probably one of the best I’ve seen at knocking pucks down and stealing them, and creating an offensive opportunity from that. What you appreciate about Noah is you can play him in any spot on any line, all three forward positions, and also can be valuable in penalty killing as well. The projection of where he is offensively is going to be up to him. You’re in a production-based business and sometimes the goals aren’t falling. But as long as it’s not, you know, leaking into your other responsibilities, you’re going to continue to play.

(Editor’s note: Cates will miss 6-8 weeks after breaking his foot over the weekend.)

Q. How do you handle these young kids, when you take out a Bobby Brink, you take out a Morgan Frost, you move Noah Cates down, how do you see the handling of the mental aspect?

A:I think that it’s a group effort from Danny [Brière] and I at the top, from Dan Hilferty coming in and visiting with the players and establishing a relationship with them. From the coaching staff to the development staff. We have a really good group of people who are in positions to make sure that we’re helping these players continue to grow. I’m really comfortable with the guys that we have in those roles. And I think our players are comfortable using them as support when necessary in order to continue with their development.

Q. You had a meeting with Michkov here in Voorhees before the draft, what did you learn from those meetings? What made you say this is our guy?

A: What I learned is that he has a lot of heart. He is, No. 1, an extremely skillful player, which is what we’re looking to add here. No. 2, he cares. This is a kid that wants to excel, that wants to be great and has the abilities to back that up. We were extremely impressed when we met him — and that’s without speaking any Russian and with him speaking very little English. But there was definitely a connection, you know, with Danny and Michkov and myself. So yeah, there’s a lot that stood out to us in our meeting and we were very fortunate that he was available when we were picking but we figured he would be and we’re happy that he was there

Q. He’s putting up record numbers at his age in the KHL but won’t be in the NHL for a while. How do you balance that from the Flyers’ perspective?

A: I would expect it would be a couple of years from now; which was kind of what we knew going in. We’re respectful of that process and we’re excited to see him continue to grow. It’s kind of a tug-of-war with your own emotions of getting him over here, and there’s no question about that. But we’re comfortable with where he’s at. Nothing has been surprising, yet, including how well he’s played. So we’re going to sit back and watch but we’re watching closely for sure.

Q. Do you contact Sochi and try and have a say in his development?

A: No ... he’s in a place with a really good coach [Dmitry Kokorev]. Watching his games, I’m impressed with how his leadership there handles him and he’s learning and getting better. You can see improvements in different areas of his game. So that’s been good. I feel quite comfortable with where he’s at right now.

Q. A large chunk of the fan base seems to be wanting the team to tank, with the hope of the No. 1 pick. Fair to say tanking is not really a thing that needs to be done if you’re going to get good players, no matter where you fall?

A: We’ve been clear about that. We’re never going to tank a game; players don’t learn from losing. They learn from winning and being in an environment where you’re attempting to win every game and that’s not going to change here. I wouldn’t want it any other way. And how many we win is, who knows? But the fact is, we’re going to attempt to win every game and anyone with that line of thinking is not thinking the way that we are. I respect people’s opinions and the way that they view things, but our view has been, collectively the same, and that’s that we’re not going to not attempt to win a game.

Q. We’re hitting Thanksgiving, and there’s that line of thinking if your team is in a playoff position they have a pretty good chance of making the playoffs. How do you feel about where the team’s at now?

(Editor’s note: This interview was done early last week. The Flyers were tied for a wild-card spot at Thanksgiving.)

A: Right now we’re not following the standings, we’re just going game by game. And I think that’s the right way for us to approach things. If players want to take a peek and that motivates them, great. For us, it’s about how we’re playing and where we’re moving as far as advancement and the way our team is playing. We want to continue to get better and I don’t think that those thoughts should be at the forefront of what we’re doing. But the fact that our team is competing extremely hard, staying in games, performing at a high level, and also being entertaining, I think those are the things that make us proudest not about where we’re sitting in the standings.

Q. How do you get the fans back?

A: Entertain. Be available. Make sure that we’re out there talking, communicating. Our fans are extremely loyal but we have a responsibility to make sure that we’re giving them all that we have and more, not just as a management team but as players as well. And we want to make sure that we’re drawing them back in. We have a long way to go in that regard, but our fans are extremely important to us. And that’s always been something that’s been a staple of this franchise, since I’ve been following the team and since I played for the team, [we] got away from it. We’re working hard to get back to it. And we owe that to our fans.

Q. What’s the next step?

A: Yeah, the immediate future is just to continue to grow and continue to play with the type of spirit that we’ve played with so far this season. Those are all really positive things. But also keeping a close eye and focus on the future — and that is threading the needle in some aspects. There’s no doubt that we have to stay focused, engaged, and really make some intelligent decisions along the way. And have some good karma, some good luck. I think we will.

Q. But how do you not panic? If things are going good or if things going bad?

A: I think because we have such a good group of people, of reminding one another on a daily basis where we’re at and where we’re heading. Having a clear focus on the future. There’ll be some things [trades] that land in our lap, and there’ll be others that we pursue, and hopefully execute on. But the most important thing is that we do it together and we have a really good and clear focus on the future. And that comes from above, with Dan Hilferty leading the way. But I just think there’s a really comfortable spot where we think we’re going to get to, and by doing it together, it’s going to be that much easier.

Q. What does that spot look like?

A: We want to be a contending team, not just for the playoffs. ... We want to contend for Stanley Cups for a long time. There’s been some teams that have done that. Tampa’s one that’s had a really long window here. Vegas has been doing it since it arrived in the NHL. There are certain teams, Rangers have continued to do it, that we want to try to emulate and they’ve set a pretty good blueprint on how to do it. Unfortunately for them, there’s nowhere to hide. So we’re going to steal ideas. Make sure that we use all the resources we have to get us where we need to get to.

Q. Speaking of the Rangers, they had a similar ‘New Era’ message and used the word rebuild. And then two seasons later they’re in the playoffs and all of a sudden was like rebuild gone. The Flyers are in that spot now with a rebuild, but with the team playing well, how do you not get too far ahead of yourselves?

A: I think that one thing that Danny said that really stood out to me was that the players are going to dictate how long this takes. If the players have their way, it wouldn’t take that long. So they’re showing, really well, just how good they can play and that’s impressive. It’s stuff that, it’s the type of thing you want to encourage. Does that change the timeline? No. But it does open your eyes. And, you know, we can all dream. But, we’re going to make sure that we as a group continue to, you know, keep that mindset of getting really good in the future. And hopefully, that future is nearer than some may anticipate.

Q. Carter Hart has stepped up his game, as has Travis Sanheim. Two examples of homegrown talent. What does it mean to have those guys step up?

A: It’s huge. There’s no doubt, it’s a big deal. And Sanheim has just been off the charts good for us. And that’s a prime example of a player that’s making sure he goes out and does everything he can to speed up the timeline. He has been terrific. Then Carter has saved some games for us. We can’t lose sight of how important he’s been in this whole thing as well. So yeah, homegrown talent is a good thing. There’s no question. We’re not in a position to add free agents right now. There’ll be a time — because our team is playing well enough — to add those pieces. That’s not anytime soon, but it’s going to be there. And we want to make sure when it is that we’re a destination again. And how you become a destination is your players play well, they play together and people want to play with them and right now our guys are doing a good job of making it feel like that here in Philadelphia.

Q. Tortorella said earlier this year that the Flyers are not attracting big names. As someone in your position, how do you draw them in?

A: Treat your players extremely well. They all talk. Treat their families really well. They talk. A lot of players when you’re talking about free agents, it’s not an individual player’s choice. They’re normally at an age where they have other responsibilities, families, children. Show them that you’re paying attention to the needs of your players and we’re going to do that. This area’s an area that’s always sold itself. We want to make sure that we’re selling and a big part of that, our fans play a role. When people watch the Phillies in the playoffs and see how crazy it is and how the fans are just so enthusiastic. When they watch the Eagles play in places packed, home or away, loaded with fans and Philadelphia sports teams, that’s a selling point for us. The Eagles have no problem recruiting talent. The Phillies have no problem recruiting talent. We’ll get there again.

Q. Does it put added pressure on you to have other Philadelphia teams doing so well?

A: No, it’s the best. It’s contagious. And it’s also representing our city so well, that we can benefit from the way that they’re demonstrating how much fun it can be to play. So when players like Jason Kelce are doing all the magical things that he does. When Bryce Harper’s doing his routine, that’s helpful for us. And those are things that we have to embrace and I know our players embrace that. They’re at the games, they are enjoying that environment. They want to be a part of it. We’re going to get there.

Q. What’s your message to the fans?

A: Just, you know, come out. You’re going to enjoy it. We’re going to entertain. We’re going to make you feel good about your experience on most nights. And that we’re going to get this thing figured out together. When I say together, it’s not just us, it’s them. They play a big part in this. So we’re going to use them for all we can.