The Philadelphia Flyers announced their official training camp roster on Tuesday morning and, to no real surprise, Belarusian goalie prospect Alexei Kolosov was not included.
Kolosov, 22, is under contract with the Flyers but did not report for development camp, rookie camp, or training camp.
Flyers general manager Danny Briere is hopeful that Kolosov changes his mind and returns to North America from Belarus, but until then, it’s time to move forward and focus with the players who want to play for the organization.
“We hope that he changes his mind and decides to come, but it’s not looking like it at this point,” Briere said on Tuesday. “It is what it is. We have to move on.”
Kolosov recently changed agents, presumably to help facilitate a change or a move, going from J.P. Barry to Dan Milstein. So far, though, no resolution has been reached either way. The Flyers are not willing to loan the former Dinamo Minsk star back to the KHL.
It appears that Kolosov wanted assurances of a guaranteed spot on the NHL roster, but that was not something the Flyers had in mind, especially after signing Ivan Fedotov to serve as the understudy to Sam Ersson.
“I think on his end, it’s more about he wants to be guaranteed a spot in the NHL,” Briere continued. “If not, he prefers to stay over there, and that’s not the way we see it. . . We want him here.”
And since Minsk has already moved on from Kolosov and carries three goalies on their roster, Kolosov doesn’t exactly have a place to go if he is unable to make things work with the Flyers. Veterans Andrei Kareyev and Andrei Tikhomirov complete a tandem that’s reinforced by Carolina Hurricanes prospect Yegor Velmakin.
As for the future, Briere isn’t sure whether Kolosov wants to play in the NHL in his future at all; not just with the Flyers. That, in all likelihood, will depend on if the 22-year-old honors the contract he signed with Philadelphia.
“We do wonder at this point, because he doesn’t show that he wants to come,” Briere concluded. “That was the understanding. Last year, when we signed the contract, he asked us to loan him back for one year so he can keep developing for one year, and then he would come over. And then we’re here now and he’s still saying the same thing.
“It’s time for him to step up and respect the contract.”
