Philadelphia Flyers goaltending prospect Alexei Kolosov is still no closer to agreeing to return to the U.S. for the Flyers' training camp, reports Kevin Kurz of The Athletic.
According to the report, a team source said the situation was still "in limbo," as he is still allegedly holding out on the Flyers to play in the KHL on loan with Dinamo Minsk this season.
Flyers GM Danny Briere has repeatedly stated that the Flyers fully expect Kolosov to report to training camp, which begins on Sept. 18.
Under his current contract, the Belarusian goalie legally cannot stay in his home country (where he's been training for most of the summer) to play in the KHL unless he reaches some sort of alternative agreement with the Flyers.
The Athletic also reported that the Flyers spoke with Kolosov and his agent, Dan Milstein, on a video call, but it is unknown if any progress was made in convincing him to come back to the U.S., as Milstein said through a text message that there was "nothing to report."
Kolosov has reportedly been frustrated with having to play in the AHL, and even more upset at the lack of game time he has received with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (it should be noted that Kolosov arrived in late March, near the tail end of the season).
Reports have also claimed that the 22-year-old was suffering from intense homesickness, feeling out of his depth since there was a language barrier between him and his teammates.
The Flyers have given Finnish goalie Eetu Makiniemi a professional try-out offer (PTO) for training camp, with many speculating the offer could be insurance in case Kolosov breaches his contract by not reporting stateside.
