During his 23 years as an NHL coach, Tortorella has been infamous for benching top offensive players as a message-sending tactic. He said that Michkov sitting out was part of the process in growing the rookie winger's game. "With young guys, they can watch games too as far as development," Tortorella said. "It's trying to help him."
Before the season, Flyers general manager Danny Briere predicted "fireworks here and there" between the rookie and his demanding coach. "At the end of the day, Torts is the coach and he's going to manage him. He's going to teach him to be a pro. Torts' goal is to make Matvei the best player he can be."
Briere also said it could be a "tough season" for Michkov, despite his offensive potential. "I'm realistic. This is the best league in the world. It's a big step. It's not going to be easy," Briere said. "So my expectations are actually pretty low. I'm excited to watch him play, but he's going to have to go through a lot before he's the player that he expects to be."
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