Head coach John Tortorella and the Philadelphia Flyers made major airwaves after making public the decision to bench, as in fully healthy scratch, rookie sensation Matvei Michkov ahead of Thursday night’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Philadelphia Flyers coach scratching rookie of the month Matvei Michkov is not necessarily a bad thing. It's now up to the Calder Trophy contender to respond effectively.

Michkov, who is second on the team with 10 points in 13 games, will sit for the first time as a Flyer.

Philadelphia Flyers head coach John Tortorella announced this morning that star rookie Matvei Michkov will be scratched for this evening's game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. When pushed for his reasoning on the decision,

To be clear, from Day 1 of training camp Tortorella has left little doubt he thinks the world of Michkov. The winger’s work ethic, competitiveness and internal fire have endeared him to the Flyers’ often tough-to-please coach. Yes, there’s a nearly half-century age gap between the two, but there seems to be a real affection there.