Flyers show how they really feel about Matvei Michkov, benching him in elimination game 4

The Philadelphia Flyers entered today on the verge of elimination in their series against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Heading into the must win game, head coach Rick Tocchet was expected to make some changes to his lineup but those exact changes were unknown.

Now, as the puck has dropped, the Flyers have benched young star Matvei Michkov in favor of rookie forward Jett Luchanko.

Just before puck drop, multiple sources confirmed that the Flyers would be taking Michkov out to allow Luchanko to make his playoff debut.

The move from head coach Rick Tocchet seems to cement the idea that Michkov is not part of the Flyers future plans and has now fallen behind Luchanko in the pecking order.

The move from the Flyers now has analysts questioning Michkov's long-term future with Philadelphia.

Michkov took a big step back in year one under new head coach Rick Tocchet dropping his point total significantly and butting heads with the Flyers bench boss on multiple occasions before finding himself bench in some of the biggest games.

After the game win or lose, Tocchet will have to answer questions about Michkov and his place in the Flyers future plans.

If the Flyers do not see a future for Michkov in their lineup then they must move on quickly and trade him for players who can contribute in the present and the future.

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