John Tortorella and Rookie Matvei Michkov Get Into Shouting Match on the Bench
Matvei Michkov has unsurprisingly got under the skin of John Tortorella this season, and on Thursday it reached a boiling point on the bench.
We knew coming into 2024/25 that Matvei Michkov and John Tortorella may not get along in Philadelphia, and while it's not been as bad as expected, things haven't been perfect, especially after the star rookie was benched earlier in the season.
Unfortunately for the Flyers, things haven't been going perfect on the ice, and as of late tensions have been rising, with their latest clash against the New York Islanders resulting in a 3-0 defeat and plenty of drama on the bench.
During the game, John Sommermann noted that there was a shouting match on the bench as the team were shutout, all while rumours swirled of the eventual deal that would send Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee to the Calgary Flames.
In footage of the screaming match, it appears things got quite heated from both sides, as the two continue to collide despite his impressive production on the ice during his rookie campaign.
Before Michkov was drafted, there was plenty of worry about his attitude and how things would translate coming to the NHL, and clearly, at least with Tortorella, things may not be working out.
In 51 games played thus far, the 19-year old has 14 goals and 34 points, a solid start to his NHL career, but with the issues in Philadelphia mounting, things could go south very soon.
It's likely that this incident was just a heat of the moment argument between two very passionate people, so if they can work past their issues things will be fine, but if not, it's unclear if this relationship can truly work.
