IT’S THE BIGGEST MYSTERY surrounding the Philadelphia Flyers, one whose answer could make or break their season:
“Can they coexist?”
Can Matvei Michkov, the 19-year-old Russian-born rookie whose offensive dexterity is only eclipsed by his boundless enthusiasm, find harmony with coach John Tortorella, whose legendary adherence to “playing the right way” has seen him bench or scratch young talent when they failed to meet his standards?
“I have no doubt that there’s going to be some fireworks here and there, just like he has with almost every single player,” Flyers general manager Danny Briere predicted. “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.”
The ends may justify the means, but the means can be frustrating for his players. Just ask any player who has received some of Tortorella’s trademark tough love while being deprived of playing time.
While Tortorella is a demanding coach, he’s also a realist. The Flyers were 27th in the NHL in goals per game last season (2.82). Michkov can score goals as well as he can create them for others, hitting the highlight reel with frequency. Tortorella and Michkov connected over the summer to establish expectations for his rookie season.
“I can’t wait to see how he is going to create offense [in the NHL]. I think his brain is pretty special,” Briere said. “We haven’t had this type of player in a long while here.”
Out of offensive necessity — and in defiance of his reputation — Tortorella seems ready to let Michkov be Michkov, for the betterment of the Flyers.
“We are starving for the types of instinctive plays that he can make,” said Tortorella, in his third year coaching in Philadelphia. “I’m not interested in turning him into a checker. We want to lay the foundation. It’s going to take time. But are we going to beat him over the head with it? No.”
The Flyers don’t just need the goals that Michkov can generate. They need the vibes. At least that’s how Tortorella sees it.
Like when Michkov scored his first goal of the preseason into an empty net. He skated over and jumped into the glass near the fans, before enthusiastically hugging his teammates, in what was essentially a practice game.
“He scored an empty-netter in an exhibition game, and it was like it was Game 7,” Tortorella said. “I love that about him. I think it rubs off on the team.”
MICHKOV WAS AN INTERNATIONALman of mystery heading into the 2023 NHL draft.
Some scouts claimed the winger had the highest talent ceiling outside of No. 1 pick Connor Bedard. But some questioned why Michkov skipped the scouting combine and met with only certain teams, fueling speculation that he was trying to maneuver his way to a specific landing spot — something the player has denied.
There was another wrinkle: Michkov was under contract with SKA St. Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League for the next three seasons, meaning that his NHL debut wouldn’t theoretically come until 2026-27.
“I do have a contract, but I’m hoping as soon as I can get out, I’m going to come here,” Michkov said after being drafted.
“It is what it is,” Briere said at the time. “We know he has a contract for three more seasons. But we just felt after watching him play and meeting him, we felt he’s a talent we can’t pass up. If we have to wait, we’ll wait.”
The wait wasn’t long. Michkov spent one more season in the KHL and then jumped to the NHL this summer.
It was the second high-profile Russian player that Briere’s front office managed to bring over to North America. Goalie Ivan Fedotov, whom the team drafted in 2015, finally arrived with the Flyers last season after a rather circuitous journey. He’s expected to form a goaltending battery with Samuel Ersson this season.
Fedotov put up strong numbers in the KHL and helped the athletes from Russia win Olympic silver in the 2022 Beijing Games. The Flyers signed him in 2022, but Fedotov was reportedly taken by Russian authorities to a remote military base in the Arctic Circle for a year of service, which they claimed he was trying to avoid by going to the NHL.
“The military took him back. So it took a little longer for him,” Briere said.
Philadelphia tolled Fedotov’s NHL contract, assuming that he’d report one year later. Instead, the KHL announced he had signed a two-year contract with CSKA Moscow.
In 2024, after the CSKA Moscow season ended, it was announced that Fedotov’s KHL contract had been terminated, and he joined the Flyers for three games last season.
The Flyers have been guarded about how they managed to get Fedotov and Michkov under contract.
When asked about Michkov specifically, Briere said it was the young standout’s desire to compare his talents with the best in the world.
“You need a willingness from the player as well. Ivan wanted to be here. Matvei wanted to be here,” he said. “Matvei’s so competitive. He wants to show the world that he belongs up there with them.”
Michkov and Fedotov are critical players for the Flyers this season. They’re also products of Russia, entering the NHL at a time when the international hockey community’s relationship with the country is strained.
Russia and Belarus have been banned from the IIHF world championships for three years because of the invasion of Ukraine. The International Olympic Committee will decide about their eligibility for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy by May. In February, the NHL is holding a tournament that features four nations but doesn’t involve Russia, as the league couldn’t figure out how to move forward with another World Cup without its participation.
The focus for the Flyers remains on the ice, according to the GM, where the Flyers are pushing for their first playoff berth since 2020 and their first Stanley Cup since 1975.
The Michkov-Tortorella partnership will be a crucial component to that push.
MICHKOV UNDERSTANDS HOW MUCH buzz surrounds his arrival in Philadelphia. Like when he showed up to training camp and saw dozens of fans already wearing his jersey, which is something he said he’s never experienced before as a player.
The Flyers are doing what they can to temper expectations on Michkov’s first NHL campaign.
“I’m realistic. It’s going to be a tough season for him. 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.”
Tortorella has a menu of things Michkov will need to work on as a rookie.
“Shift length is something we’re going to concentrate on with him,” he said. “He hasn’t played 82 games.”
Tortorella drew a comparison between Rangers star Artemi Panarin — whom he coached with the Columbus Blue Jackets — and Michkov, in the way they can quickly accelerate when their team gains possession of the puck.
“It’s funny how you watch a guy like [Panarin], where it might be a little bit of a struggle to get back when you don’t have the puck, and how quickly it comes back when they do have the puck,” the coach said. “Bread is one of the best at it, and I think Mich has a little bit of that.”
Tortorella said there’s a discernible jump in quality of play from exhibition season to the regular season that Michkov will have to handle, and that “situational play” will be one of the biggest learning curves for him.
“I think that’s the key thing when you’re dealing with offensive players. There are certain times in the game when you’ve just got to be simple. You may have to fight another day to make that play,” he said. “That’s something I know we’re going to have to teach him. But I want to let him go. We’re not going to try to stifle him in any way as far as his creativity.”
For all the concerns about the coexistence between Michkov and Tortorella, the coach says he wants to just let him fly.
“You get happy for a 19-year-old kid, coming from overseas, spotlight on him a little bit, and he just goes and plays,” he said. “When I think of myself at that age, there’s not a chance I could be doing the things he’s doing. I was never mature enough. So it’s fun for an older person to look at a young kid enjoying himself and handling the situation like he has.”
John Tortorella, living vicariously through Matvei Michkov. Who knew?
The San Francisco Giants acquired three-time All-Star Rafael Devers from the Boston Red Sox on Sunday in a stunning trade that sent a player Boston once considered a franchise cornerstone to a San Francisco team needing an offensive infusion.
Boston received left-handed starter Kyle Harrison, right-hander Jordan Hicks, outfield prospect James Tibbs III and Rookie League right-hander Jose Bello.
The Red Sox announced the deal Sunday evening.
The Giants will cover the remainder of Devers’ contract, which runs through 2033 and will pay him more than $250 million, sources told ESPN.
The trade ends the fractured relationship between Devers and the Red Sox that had degraded since spring training, when Devers balked at moving off third base — the position where he had spent his whole career — after the signing of free agent Alex Bregman. The Red Sox gave no forewarning to Devers, who expressed frustration before relenting and agreeing to be their designated hitter.
After a season-ending injury to first baseman Triston Casas in early May, the Red Sox asked Devers to move to first base. Devers declined, suggesting the front office “should do their jobs” and find another player after the organization told him during spring training he would be the DH for the remainder of the season. The day after Devers’ comments, Red Sox owner John Henry, president Sam Kennedy and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow flew to Kansas City, where Boston was playing, to talk with Devers.
In the weeks since, Devers’ refusal to play first led to internal tension and helped facilitate the deal, sources said.
San Francisco pounced — and added a force to an offense that ranks 15th in runs scored in Major League Baseball. Devers, 28, is hitting .272/.401/.504 with 15 home runs and 58 RBIs, tied for the third most in MLB. Over his nine-year career, Devers is hitting .279/.349/.509 with 215 home runs and 696 RBIs in 1,053 games.
Boston believed enough in Devers to give him a 10-year, $313.5 million contract extension in January 2023. He rewarded the Red Sox with a Silver Slugger Award that season and made his third All-Star team in 2024.
Whether he slots in at designated hitter or first base with San Francisco — the Giants signed Gold Glove third baseman Matt Chapman to a six-year, $151 million deal last year — is unknown. But San Francisco sought Devers more for his bat, one that immediately makes the Giants — who are fighting for National League West supremacy with the Los Angeles Dodgers — a better team.
To do so, the Giants gave a package of young talent and took on the contract that multiple teams’ models had as underwater.
Harrison, 23, is the prize of the deal, particularly for a Red Sox team replete with young hitting talent but starving for young pitching. Once considered one of the best pitching prospects in baseball, Harrison has shuttled between San Francisco and Triple-A Sacramento this season.
Harrison, who was scratched from a planned start against the Dodgers on Sunday night, has a 4.48 ERA over 182⅔ innings since debuting with the Giants in 2023. He has struck out 178, walked 62 and allowed 30 home runs. The Red Sox optioned Harrison to Triple-A Worcester after the trade was announced.
Hicks, 28, who has toggled between starter and reliever since signing with the Giants for four years and $44 million before the 2024 season, is on the injured list because of right toe inflammation. One of the hardest-throwing pitchers in baseball, Hicks has a 6.47 ERA over 48⅔ innings this season. He could join the Red Sox’s ailing bullpen, which Breslow has sought to upgrade.
Tibbs, 22, was selected by the Giants with the 13th pick in last year’s draft out of Florida State. A 6-foot, 200-pound corner outfielder, Tibbs has spent the season at High-A, where he has hit .245/.377/.480 with 12 home runs and 32 RBIs in 56 games. Scouts laud his command of the strike zone — he has 41 walks and 45 strikeouts in 252 plate appearances — but question whether his swing will translate at higher levels.
Bello, 20, has spent the season as a reliever for the Giants’ Rookie League affiliate. In 18 innings, he has struck out 28 and walked three while posting a 2.00 ERA.
The deal is the latest in which Boston shipped a player central to the franchise.
Boston traded Mookie Betts to the Dodgers in February 2020, just more than a year after leading Boston to a franchise-record 108 wins and a World Series title and winning the American League MVP Award.
Devers was part of that World Series-winning team in 2018 and led the Red Sox in RBIs each season from 2020 to 2024, garnering AL MVP votes across each of the past four years. Devers had been with the Red Sox since 2013, when he signed as an international amateur free agent out of the Dominican Republic. He debuted four years later at age 20.
Boston is banking on its young talent to replace Devers’ production. The Red Sox regularly play four rookies — infielders Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer, outfielder Roman Anthony and catcher Carlos Narvaez — and infielder Franklin Arias and outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia are expected to contribute in the coming years.
Ohtani, 21 months removed from a second repair of his ulnar collateral ligament, will be used as an opener, likely throwing one inning. Because of his two-way designation, Ohtani qualifies as an extra pitcher on the roster, giving the Dodgers the flexibility to use a piggyback starter behind him.
That is essentially what will take place in his first handful of starts — a byproduct of the progress Ohtani has made in the late stages of his pitching rehab.
Ohtani, 30, initially seemed to be progressing toward a return some time around August. But he made a major step during his third simulated game from San Diego’s Petco Park on Tuesday, throwing 44 pitches over the course of three simulated innings and compiling six strikeouts against a couple of low-level minor leaguers.
Afterward, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said it was a “north of zero” chance Ohtani could return before the All-Star break. When he met with reporters prior to Sunday’s game against the San Francisco Giants — an eventual 5-4 victory — Roberts said it was a “possibility” Ohtani could pitch after just one more simulated game.
After the game, Roberts indicated the timeline might have been pushed even further, telling reporters it was a “high possibility” Ohtani would pitch in a big league game this week as an opener, likely during the upcoming four-game series against the Padres.
“He’s ready to pitch in a big league game,” Roberts told reporters. “He let us know.”
If you’re just getting back home from your Father’s Day activities, you had better sit down, because Sunday evening’s Boston Red Sox–San Francisco Giants trade is a doozy.
Rafael Devers, second among third basemen and seventh among hitters in fantasy points this season, is headed to the Giants, traded minutes before their game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Boston’s return includes pitchers Kyle Harrison, who was the Giants’ scheduled starting pitcher Sunday night (subsequently scratched), pitcher Jordan Hicks, outfield prospect James Tibbs III and pitching prospect Jose Bello.
Expect Devers to continue to serve in a designated hitter-only capacity with his new team, considering his season-long stance, which is primarily an issue for his position eligibility for 2026. He might factor as the Giants’ future first baseman if given a full offseason to prepare for the shift to a new position — or it could happen sooner if he has a change of heart in his new environment.
As for the impact on Devers’ numbers, the move from Fenway Park to Oracle Park represents one of the steepest downgrades in terms of park factors, specifically run production and extra-base hits. With its close-proximity Green Monster in left field, Fenway Park is a much better environment for doubles and runs scored, Statcast reflecting that it’s 22% and 10% better than league average in those categories, respectively, compared with 8% worse and only 2% above par for Oracle Park.
Devers is a prime-age 28, with a contract averaging a relatively reasonable $31.8 million over the next eight seasons, and he’s leaving a Red Sox team where his defensive positioning — he has played all but six of his career defensive innings at third base — was a manner of much debate, to go to a team that has one of baseball’s best defensive third basemen in Matt Chapman (once he’s healthy following a hand injury). Devers’ unwillingness to play first base probably played a big part in his ultimately being traded, and it’s worth pointing out that one of the positions where the Giants are weakest is, well, also first base.
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Perez: Devers gives Giants a ‘really good offense’
Eduardo Perez, David Cone and Karl Ravech react to the Giants acquiring star 3B Rafael Devers from the Red Sox.
Devers’ raw power is immense, as he has greater than 95th percentile barrel and hard-hit rates this season. He has been in that tier or better in the latter in each of the past three seasons as well. He’s at a 33-homer (and 34 per 162 games) pace since the beginning of 2021, so the slugger should continue to homer at a similar rate regardless of his surroundings. He should easily snap the Giants’ drought of 30-homer hitters, which dates back to Barry Bonds in 2004. Devers’ fantasy value might slip slightly, mostly due to the park’s impact on his runs scored and RBIs, but he’ll remain a top-four fantasy third baseman.
If you play in an NL-only league, Devers is an open-the-wallet free agent target. He’s worth a maximum bid, considering he brings a similar ability to stars you might invest in come the July trade deadline, except in this case you’ll get an extra month and a half’s production.
Harrison is an intriguing pickup for the Red Sox, though in a disappointing development, he was immediately optioned to Triple-A Worcester. A top-25 overall prospect as recently as two years ago, Harrison’s spike in average fastball velocity this season (95.1 mph, up from 92.5) could be a signal of better things ahead. Once recalled to Fenway Park, his fantasy prospects would take a hit, as that’s a venue that isn’t forgiving to fly ball-oriented lefties, but he’d be a matchups option nevertheless.
Expect Hicks to serve in setup relief for his new team, though he’d at best be fourth in the Red Sox’s pecking order for saves.