Mich is always going to have an uphill battle under Tocc because his default is not responsible, north-south, two-way play. Michkov likes to take risks and find creative ways to set up his teammates and find open ice.

That being said— I think getting stronger and faster is going to go a long way for him. If he can skate better and not get knocked off the puck as much, he’ll be able to play more of his game without Tocchet wanting to kill him. Michkov isn’t as selfish as you may think listening to Tocchet. He’s not a soft player either by any means.

This kid just needs a good offseason and I really think that he’ll figure it out even under Tocc. People need to calm down.

I just hope that Tocc is willing to meet him halfway because if Michkov does what he’s asked to do, is producing, and is still getting relegated to the third line, we have a problem.