The NHLs Calder Trophy race is heating up, with Philadelphia Flyers star right winger Matvei Michkov scoring his third overtime winner of the season Saturday night. The current record for most overtime goals scored by a player in their rookie season is defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, who had four OT winners in 2015-16. So Michkov is in a great position to match and beat that mark, as hes showing how clutch he is at such a young age. But is that going to be enough for the 19-year-old to be named top rookie this season, or are fellow rookies Dustin Wolf and Logan Stankoven doing enough to be the favorite to be named top rookie?
From our perspective, its going to be tough for Stankoven and Wolf to unseat Michkov as the odds-on favorite to win the Calder. This isnt a negative comment on Wolf and Stankovens performances this season, but for a variety of reasons, the Flames goalie and Stars center are going to face more significant challenges than Michkov as they battle to win the top-rookie award.
For one thing, theres a reason why goalies very rarely win the Calder. The last goalie to win it was Columbus Steve Mason in 2008-09, and the last goalie to win it prior to Mason was Bruins netminder Andrew Raycroft in 2003-04. Goalies rarely win the Calder because you dont often see the ideal situation of a rookie goalie thriving despite being on bad teams, or being the go-to option on good teams, and being perceived as being helped by the high quality of those good teams. Its much easier to see Calder-caliber skaters on either sub-par or above-average teams.
Michkov fits that bill in Philly. Hes got nine goals and 19 points in 23 games for the Flyers this season, and having nearly a point-per-game pace separates him from his rookie peers. Stankoven is the closest to Michkov with 15 points, and Wolf may beat the odds against winning the Calder by posting a stellar .918 save percentage and 2.59 goals-against average. But the Flames may burn out and hurt Wolfs individual numbers, and Stankoven may not be able to catch Michkov in the points department. That makes Michkov the odds-on favorite to win the Calder.
Many people picked Michkov in their pre-season picks to win the Calder, and hes proving that the hype around him is well-founded. Michkov is an electric competitor, and despite playing on a sub-par Flyers team (5th in the Metropolitan Division), hes generating more than enough offense to make himself the eventual winner.
If he does win the Calder, Michkov will be the first Russian to win it since Wild left winger Kirill Kaprizov won it in 2020-21. This is why Michkov’s future is bright, and his present is just as thrilling. He’s a special player, and the Flyers are going to benefit from his services for many years to come.
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