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Greg Wyshynski, ESPNSep 17, 2024, 12:44 PM ET
- Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer.
VOORHEES, N.J. — If goalie Alexei Kolosov doesn’t want to play for the Philadelphia Flyers, the Flyers don’t want him playing in Russia either.
That’s the status of the standoff between the Flyers and Kolosov, a 22-year-old Belarusian who is one of their top goaltending prospects. He didn’t report to the team’s rookie camp this week at their practice facility in New Jersey and has asked the Flyers to loan him back to Dinamo Minsk of Russia’s KHL — a request that Flyers general manager Daniel Briere said the team will not grant.
“It’s time for him to step up and respect the contract,” he said at Flyers rookie camp Tuesday.
Kolosov signed an entry-level contract with the Flyers in 2023, who loaned him to Dinamo Minsk last season before he came to the U.S. to play in the American Hockey League with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Kolosov appeared in two games last season in the AHL.
“I guess we can still hope that he decides to show up if he wants to play hockey, but it’s not looking like it at this point,” Briere said. “It is what it is. We have to move on. We hoped that he would want to compete for a job.”
The Flyers have their goaltending tandem set for this season: Samuel Ersson, 25, who played 51 games last season; and Ivan Fedotov, 27, who appeared in three games after coming over from Russia late in the season.
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The plan was to have Kolosov see ample time in with the Phantoms this season, in a tandem with 29-year-old goalie Cal Petersen. Briere said there was a chance Kolosov could have been third on their depth chart.
“When you look at the way we’re built right now, there’s an opportunity there for him,” he said.
But Briere said that Kolosov didn’t want to start this season in the AHL and wanted “to be guaranteed a spot in the NHL.” If he didn’t get that guarantee, Kolosov wanted to stay in the KHL.
Briere said that the Flyers have no interest in loaning Kolosov back to the KHL.
“We agreed last year to loan him back for one year because he wanted to stay home, but at some point you sign a contract and we want him here,” he said. “We want him to start integrating himself to the way the game is played here in North America, with smaller ice, with learning the language and all of that. And I guess he doesn’t see it that way at the moment.”
There has been speculation that the Flyers could trade Kolosov to end their standoff. But that depends on another NHL team being able to get him to commit to leave Russia.
“I get it, you might be homesick, but that’s the life of a professional hockey player. You’ve got to adapt if you want to play hockey. That’s just how it is,” Briere said.
This is the second high-profile recent draft pick who has refused to play for the Flyers on Briere’s watch.
Forward Cutter Gauthier was drafted fifth by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2022 NHL draft but was traded to the Anaheim Ducks in early January for defenseman Jamie Drysdale and a second-round selection in the 2025 NHL draft. It had become apparent that, in the words of Comcast Spectacor chairman Dan Hilferty, “his mind was made up that he didn’t want to be in Philadelphia.”
Briere said the team is always examining its approach to prospects, but that he’s more concerned with the culture for players already in the organization.
“I’m more worried about the people on the inside than the people on the outside and once usually they come in, they realize how good we have it,” he said.
One prospect that has committed to the Flyers is forward Matvei Michkov, who is attending their rookie camp after being drafted seventh overall in 2023. Michkov is considered one of the best offensive prospects in recent franchise history.
“I can’t wait to see how he is going to create offense [in the NHL]. I think his brain is pretty special,” said Briere.
Many NHL fans are anticipating something else with Michkov: a 19-year-old offensive dynamo playing under coach John Tortorella, who has not shied away from depriving young skaters of playing time to get his message across to them.
Briere fully anticipates some friction.
“There’s going to be some fireworks. But he’s going to teach him to be a pro. He’s going to teach him to be the best player he can be,” said Briere, who said the final call on all lineup decisions is left with Tortorella.
While Briere acknowledges that Michkov is a special talent, he’s setting the bar low for him in his first NHL season.
“It’s gonna be a tough season for him. This is the best league in the world. It’s a big step. It’s not going to be easy. So my expectations are actually pretty low,” he said.
The Flyers open their 2024-25 regular season at Vancouver on Oct. 11. They finished last season four points out of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
