Philadelphia Flyers general manager Daniel Briere may begin taking consulting contracts on how to attract KHL players to North America.
After settling the cases of goaltender Ivan Fedotov at the end of last season, then that of Matvei Michkov this summer, the Flyers seem to have put an end to another saga involving a Russian player: goaltender Alexei Kolosov.
According to several media, the Belarusian native goaltender is heading to Philadelphia even though it seemed, until recently, that he had no intention of reporting to the Flyers camp.
The team’s third-round pick in 2021, Kolosov made his debut in North America at the end of last season, with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League. Last summer, information began to circulate in the Belarusian media to the effect that Kolosov had felt isolated during his time at Lehigh Valley and that he had no intention of returning there, preferring joining Minsk Dynamo in the KHL.
An escape clause
Kolosov’s agent, Dan Milstein, subsequently confirmed to the Flyers that his client was asking to be loaned to Minsk, but the Flyers were not ready to grant him this favor so the 22-year-old goaltender made the impasse on the team’s camp. About ten days ago, journalist Elliotte Friedman from Sportsnet reported in his podcast 32 Thoughts that the Flyers were open to trading the young goaltender and that the price for acquiring him was a second-round pick.
However, it seems that all would not be won. According to Friedman, the Flyers and Kolosov have agreed that the goaltender will report to the team’s camp, where he will have the chance to play preseason and American Hockey League (AHL) games. The agreement would, however, stipulate that Kolosov could return to the KHL if a place in the NHL does not become available for him.
“Alexei Kolosov is flying to Philadelphia, there are no disagreements between the player and the club. We have made a final decision. I can say that Alexei will participate in the Flyers training camp and games,” Milstein told Russian media Championat.com.
Kolosov played just two games at Lehigh Valley last season, posting a 1-1 record, a 3.03 goals-against average and a .885 save percentage.
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