- Daniel Briere says there were “some talks” with Matvei Michkov’s camp and nothing to announce
- Tuesday at 11:59 p.m. ET is the last moment any team can hand out an eight-year deal
- Read below for Briere’s comments and what Michkov’s 2023 draft classmates just signed
The eight-year window shuts on the entire league Tuesday night, and Matvei Michkov is not walking through it.
Daniel Briere met with reporters ahead of Flyers training camp and was asked where things stand on a Michkov extension with the deadline hours away. He gave up almost nothing.
“Some talks, nothing really to say at the moment.”
Kevin Kurz of The Athletic relayed the answer from the podium and added the obvious translation: Philadelphia is not signing Michkov to an eight-year deal today.
Watch the full media availability:
Teams have until 11:59 p.m. ET on Tuesday to sign one of their own players to eight years. The new CBA kicks in Wednesday morning and drops the maximum to seven years for a re-signing and six for a free agent from another club.
Two members of Michkov’s draft class beat the buzzer. Ryan Leonard, taken eighth overall in 2023, signed for eight years and $84 million in Washington on Tuesday morning at a $10.5 million cap hit, and he did it off a 45-point season in 75 games.
Drake Batherson got there too, landing eight years at $10.75 million a season in Ottawa.
Michkov went seventh in that 2023 draft, a spot ahead of Leonard, and for one winter he looked like the steal of it. He scored 26 goals and 63 points in 80 games as a rookie, finished fourth in Calder voting, and averaged 16:41 a night.
Year two went sideways. Rick Tocchet called him out for showing up to camp out of shape, his ice time fell to 14:50, and his production dipped to 20 goals and 51 points in 81 games.
Then came the playoffs, where Michkov managed one assist in eight games and sat as a healthy scratch twice.
None of this leaves Philadelphia stuck. Michkov is on the last year of the three-year entry-level deal he signed in July 2024 at a $950,000 cap hit, and he becomes a restricted free agent next summer. The Flyers can hand him seven years whenever they want, and Briere has been saying since August that the discussions will happen at some point, just not yet.
Briere gave the same answer two weeks ago, telling reporters there was “nothing going on at the moment” on Michkov or Rasmus Ristolainen. The calendar has moved since. His position has not.
