The Alexei Kolosov saga has taken another twist recently as the Philadelphia Flyers reportedly aren’t expecting the Belarusian goaltender to report to training camp, according to Daily Faceoff’s Anthony Di Marco.
Kolosov has apparently begun practicing with Minsk and although they have 3 goaltenders rostered in Andrei Kareyev, Andrei Tikhomirov, and Yegor Velmakin, it makes you wonder how far he’s willing to hold out for.
Last month, it was reported by several media outlets, including Kevin Kurz of The Athletic and Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia that Kolosov would prefer to return to Minsk on a loan rather than sticking by his contract and playing for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the AHL. this upcoming season; something that the Flyers were fully against and still oppose.
It’s yet another twist in the Kolosov-saga as the goaltender has been uneasy with the Flyers organization dating back to his arrival in late March. Earlier this summer it was reported by a Belarusian news outlet that he was unhappy and finding it difficult to acclimate to his new surroundings. Another report came out later that – if true – was damning to the Flyers because it speculated that they essentially left him isolated.
The real reason for his uneasiness is unknown but you can perhaps put 2 and 2 together with the surprise arrival of Ivan Fedotov. On the 26th of March of this past year, Dinamo Minsk took to their Instagram account to thank Kolosov for his services; ultimately allowing him to leave and pursue his professional career in North America. 2 days later, CSKA Moscow terminated Fedotov’s contract out of thin air. What seemed like an improbability turned into reality for the Flyers, who had to believe they were losing their grasp on Fedotov.
CSKA Moscow went against Fedotov’s contract with the Flyers, they were going to fight tooth and nail even with sanctions being levied, and he seemed destined to remain in the KHL for the foreseeable future just based on their verbiage and usage. Then out of nowhere, news starts filtering out that they had terminated his contract – a few months after sanctions were levied by the IIHF.
It was probably understood that Kolosov was going to report to the Phantoms for the remainder of their season and then fight for his chance to make the big club in training camp. Comparatively, Fedotov went straight to the Flyers to back up Samuel Ersson upon his arrival.
The way the stories are coming through, it sounds like Kolosov believed he was going to play for the Phantoms right away. Perhaps if they were out of the post-season picture that would have been the case, but with the playoffs on the line they stuck by Cal Petersen, who played a key role down the stretch for the club.
Kolosov played in 2 games for the Phantoms and sat the entirety of the playoffs, while Fedotov appeared in 3 games with the Flyers, including 1 start. Kolosov had also just recently signed his 3-year entry-level contract, while Fedotov was brought over on an expiring contract before he ultimately signed a 2-year pact in the summer worth $3.25 million per season. The higher than usual cap hit was believed to be a reason why he was brought over in the first place, according to PHLY’s Charlie O’Connor.
Kolosov signed his entry-level contract in the summer of 2023 and had another remarkable season in the KHL with Dinamo Minsk with the intention of joining the Flyers organization by the end of the season. His path to the NHL was paved with the self-destructive behaviours of the Flyers’ backup goaltenders and Ersson not having enough experience to be able to play the lion’s share of games. However, all that changed in a matter of days, and it seems like Kolosov has soured ever since.
If that is the case and Kolosov refuses to report to training camp and the AHL, similarly to Yaroslav Askarov, then the Flyers are going to find themselves in deep trouble – if they’re not already there to begin with.
Askarov was the highly touted goaltending prospect for the Nashville Predators who became disgruntled with his situation once the organization extended Juuse Saros to an 8-year deal and then signed a veteran backup goaltender for 2 seasons. He had spent the previous 2 years marinating in the minors and believed he earned a shot in the NHL but realized it wasn’t going to be in the plans for another year or two in Nashville.
He requested a trade, reportedly was not going to show up to training camp, nor was he going to report to the minor leagues. He had one year remaining on his deal before the Predators ultimately traded him to San Jose.
The situation is different in this case since Kolosov still has 2 years remaining on his ELC and he has just came over from the KHL so he only has 2 games of North American experience. However, unlike Askarov, there’s still a path to playing in between the pipes at the NHL-level with uncertainty in both Ersson and Fedotov. It’s not a given that either goaltender lasts the entirety of the 2024-25 season and Kolosov would be first in line for an opportunity should they flail or should an injury come to the forefront.
The Flyers tried the Petersen experiment last year and it backfired almost immediately, and Felix Sandström was not retained so he’s no longer in the picture. It is Kolosov’s crease in the AHL and there are a few pathways for him to make his NHL debut even with Ersson and Fedotov signed for the next 2 seasons.
There’s certainly more at play and it makes you wonder what was discussed between his team and Flyers general manager Daniel Brière. Whatever was said and discussed upon his arrival has made him feel some kind of way and it potentially has dangerous ramifications, especially if he’s refusing to report to training camp and practicing in Belarus while under contract with the Flyers.
Of course, this situation brings back flashbacks of how Cutter Gauthier’s departure was met. The once highly sought after prospect didn’t report to the rookie camp last year after a sensational season with Boston College that was followed by an even better showing at the IIHF World Championships. The Flyers tried to sweep it under the rug, citing that he had played a lot of hockey between October and May, including the IIHF World Junior Championships in December.
Then shortly after winning gold at the following World Junior Championships this past January, the Flyers traded him to Anaheim in a surprise move that left the hockey world shocked. It was reported afterwards that he refused to meet with the club, was ignoring advances made by higher-ups in the organization like John LeClair and Patrick Sharp, and was not on talking terms with Brière and Keith Jones.
Kolosov being disgruntled, not willing to report to camp, and wanting to play on a loan in Minsk is not going to put any of those thoughts to rest. It’s certainly not a good look that you have had 2 top prospects exceedingly disgruntled within the same year.
Gauthier’s was believed to have stemmed from him believing he was NHL-ready but the Flyers wanted him to return to college for one more year. With Kolosov it almost feels identical in the sense that the player believes he’s ready for the NHL but the organization wants another year at a different level.
While the Flyers believe in Carson Bjarnason and Egor Zavragin, they’re still several years away from making an impact at the professional level. Kolosov was looked upon as the bridge between their prospects and whatever they were fielding in the NHL and without him in the picture, it looks very bleak behind Ersson and Fedotov.
It also really doesn’t help that goaltending is once again the biggest cause for concern heading into a new season.
Training camps open up in about a week’s time and if Kolosov continues to hold out, the Flyers better have contingency plans in place because the last time they went into a season without one, it completely backfired on them – ironically enough, that was just last season. Ersson was run into the ground, Fedotov was not ready and he was thrown to the wolves too soon, and Petersen and Sandström were horrendous – and that’s putting it lightly.
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