Senators’ Scoring Problem Could Be Solved by Acquiring Flyers’ Michkov – The Hockey Writers – Ottawa Senators

The Ottawa Senators have a pretty significant scoring problem, and it needs to be addressed over the offseason before it hurts them again.

If general manager Steve Staios wants to put the Senators over the edge, bringing in Matvei Michkov could be the solution.

Michkov Has Great Offensive Ability, Not Working in Philly

Back at the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, Michkov was pushing his way to being a top-three pick, but with the uncertainty of his arrival in North America, the Russian winger fell to the Flyers with the seventh pick. Looking strictly at the talent, there is a good argument that he would go in the top three if a redraft were done.

Throughout much of the season, Michkov spent time with reduced minutes and in a limited offensive role; he has averaged just over 10 minutes of ice time across the four playoff games he played, and was scratched in another.

For a full Flyers-centric perspective on the handling of Michkov, The Hockey Writers’ Justin Giampietro had a great piece covering this.

Opportunity is the big question for Michkov. There is clearly a rift between the player and coach Rick Tocchet, and there are some legitimate questions about what to do moving forward.

On top of the great shot and release, Michkov has some strong offensive instincts. For a young player with so much emphasis on their shot, Michkov’s hockey IQ and playmaking abilities shouldn’t be forgotten, either.

Beyond all of that, a lot of Michkov’s success comes at even strength. Giampietro wrote, “From March 19 to now [April 16, 2026], Michkov’s 13 points at 5-on-5 are tied for first in the NHL. Everyone else tied for first has over 200 minutes played, whereas Michkov is sitting at 176.”

Having a young player with so much discourse around them and limited minutes typically adds up to poor 5-on-5 production, but when given the chance, Michkov was a bright spot.

That brings things back to the Senators. They have a hole in their top-six they need to address, and a player like Michkov would be an outstanding fit alongside Tim Stutzle on the top line.

Michkov’s Perfect Fit with Senators

At even strength, the Senators were the 24th-ranked team in terms of expected goals, and sat just one spot ahead, at 23rd, in actual goals scored.

In 2024-25, the Senators ranked second-last in 5-on-5 goals, and even with a 39-goal improvement, it still isn’t enough. The Senators’ power play finished eighth in the league with a 24 per cent success rate, though that started to fall off in the back half of the season, and certainly into the playoffs, where the team had one power play goal in 21 opportunities.

Since before he was drafted, there have been eyes on Michkov’s offensive game. Since getting to the NHL, he has shown how impactful he can be. In a bigger role, he could certainly challenge the 40-goal mark and push for a point-per-game pace, or even higher.

That isn’t going to happen in Philadelphia, though.

With the Senators, their centre depth is among the top in the league. Stutzle centres the top line, with Dylan Cozens and Shane Pinto taking care of the middle-six. On the wings, there are some more questions.

Drake Batherson is a great offensive player and certainly has a spot in the top-six. He seemed to work best on the second line with Cozens, though having him with Stutzle on the top line is far from problematic. Both Claude Giroux and Ridly Greig have spent time in the top-six on the right wing, too.

As for the 38-year-old Giroux, who will contemplate retirement this offseason, he doesn’t have the pace to be that player any more. He certainly has a role, but it shouldn’t be this one.

The performances from Stutzle this season were spectacular to watch. The issue comes from how many of those great individual plays don’t result in a goal.

Even through the playoffs, Stutzle probably could have had a few goals, but whether it is his inability to finish off those plays, or just puck luck, it didn’t happen.

The Senators tried to solve this by adding Alex DeBrincat a few seasons ago, but that didn’t work out well. Acquiring Michkov to fill that hole could be the perfect move.

How are they going to do that, though?

Trade Option 1: Package Surrounding Shane Pinto

Backtracking to the Senators’ centre depth, would moving Pinto make sense?

Having the luxury of three elite centres is something teams don’t often try to move away from. There could be an internal conversation about Greig taking that job, but Pinto’s value to the Senators shouldn’t be understated.

He earned a four-year extension, which has yet to kick in, paying him $7.5 million annually. He could be an integral part of the Senators’ group moving forward, and nobody would be upset about that.

The Flyers have a centre core of Trevor Zegras, Christian Dvorak, Noah Cates, and Sean Couturier. That is a pretty good group, but they would take any chance to improve on that. One very common trend for the Flyers is that they like their two-way centres.

Zegras plays on the wing sometimes, Dvorak and Cates are both 40+ point players with good two-way play. Pinto fits that mould, but has higher offensive upside. Even though his 46 points this season was a career-high, he did it in 72 games. Pinto certainly has 30-goal and 60-point potential, and would be a better option on the second line than what they have moving forward.

All of that, plus Selke Trophy potential, would make Pinto a great target from the Senators if they were to talk about a Michkov trade.

A one-for-one deal may not get it done, and the Senators may have to add to that to get a deal done, but Pinto could make for a great starting point.

Trade Option 2: Prospect and Picks Package

One thing the Senators don’t have much of is young up-and-coming assets. Whether that be their prospect pool or draft picks, the cupboards are pretty bare.

The Flyers came into this season with continuing the rebuild as their goal, and while they are looking good in the playoffs so far, future assets could still be attractive to them.

Depending on what the Senators do in free agency, they could be left with Stephen Halliday on the outside looking in. While he isn’t a game-breaker, he is a good young centre who could add some value.

The Senators got their 2026 first-round pick back, with the caveats that it will be 32nd overall and cannot be traded.

One workaround for this would be, if a Michkov deal happened at or around the draft, Staios could call Flyers general manager Daniel Briere and ask what player he wants with the pick.

Rather than moving the actual pick, the Senators could make the selection and trade the player as part of the deal.

The Senators are missing their second-round pick for 2026, and seventh-round picks for this year and next, but otherwise, have all of their picks, plus two additional 2026 third-round picks.

Other prospects who could be attractive for the Flyers may include Logan Hensler, who would carry the most value, Blake Montgomery, Owen Beckner, or a combination of lower-tiered prospects.

Michkov – A Risk Well Worth Taking

When things aren’t going smoothly for a young player, acquiring them can always come with risks. In the case of Michkov, a lot of fingers are being pointed at Tocchet and the relationship he has with the player. That seems to be the biggest hindrance.

The Senators may have to move some good assets to bring in Michkov, and there is, of course, going to be a risk that it doesn’t work out, but it also has the potential to be a franchise-altering move.