Did Matvei Michkov leak the arrival date of the flyers?

An interview reveals that Matvei Michkov will join the Philadelphia Flyers within a month, and possibly even sooner.

A short 32-second clip from “BreadSport” in which Michkov is interviewed surfaced online on Friday after initially being uploaded on Wednesday. After visibly becoming irritated by the interviewer’s questions about his participation in the Russian Media Hockey League tournament, Michkov apparently revealed the date(s) he will fly to North America to join the Flyers.

“I’m leaving now on the 20th. I’m flying away, as if God forbid everything is going well here,” Michkov said, ending with a shrug.

For context, the Media Hockey League is a non-competitive summer league that can best be compared to something like Da Beauty League, a 4-on-4 hockey league that features PWHL and NHL stars. Proceeds go to various charities.

“I don’t know if (the Flyers) know about it or not,” Michkov said in the interview with the Media Hockey League. “I just came with my friends to play hockey. After all, it’s a holiday.”

Even if the Flyers knew the league existed, it’s unlikely any problems would arise. Bobby Brink, Noah Cates and Ryan Poehling all play in Da Beauty League, so the precedent has already been set.

As for our business here, it is unclear when “the 20th” is, as Michkov himself said. It could be July 20, which is Saturday, or August 20, which is still about a month away.

During his virtual press conference last week, Flyers winger Garnet Hathaway half-jokingly claimed he’d heard “rumors” that Michkov would be meeting his new teammates in person soon, so Saturday fits the description of soon much better than August 20.

Patience is a virtue, however, and our only option is to wait and see what the coming hours, days and weeks bring. Moreover, it is certainly possible that Microsoft’s information technology glitches could disrupt Michkov’s travel plans if he plans to fly on Saturday.

Breathe, friends.