With Alexei Kolosov apparently deciding against reporting to Philadelphia Flyers training camp, general manager Danny Briere and Co. are left in a bind.
On one hand, the Flyers think very highly of Kolosov as a player and want him to honor the contract he signed last offseason. On the other, Briere is led to believe that Kolosov wants to have a guaranteed place in the NHL. Otherwise, he’ll return to the KHL and bide his time there.
And with teams reportedly calling to inquire about Kolosov’s availability, a Flyers trade might be the most amicable option for all parties involved.
But which of those NHL teams would be willing to, or could, meet Kolosov’s demands?
No. 5: Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild are in salary cap hell; there’s no way around that.
The Wild are currently dealing with $14.743 million in dead cap thanks to the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts, and it’s actively impacting their ability to build a good hockey team. Incumbent starter Filip Gustavsson, who carries a $3.75 million cap hit for two more years, has been perpetually linked to NHL trade rumors for the last year and is coming off a not-so-great season.
Future Hockey Hall of Famer Marc-Andre Fleury, 39, is slated to retire from hockey at the end of the 2024-25 season.
Wild goalie prospect Samuel Hlavaj has yet to play North American hockey while 2021 No. 20 overall pick Jesper Wallstedt is still growing at the AHL level.
Within a year, the Wild could deploy a platoon of Gustavsson and Kolosov, Wallstedt and Kolosov, or Gustavsson and Wallstedt. Who knows?
A Flyers trade would at least give them some options and the ability to get creative.
Plus, a Russian-speaking contingent of Kirill Kaprizov, Yakov Trenin, Marat Khusnutdinov, and Danila Yurov would make for a comfortable situation for the Flyers prospect.
No. 4: New Jersey Devils
Close your eyes, Flyers fans.
Ok, maybe don’t do that. But if the Flyers don’t want Kolosov to hang out in the KHL until an NHL spot opens up, other teams will.
The New Jersey Devils are one of those teams, given that they have the luxury of having a veteran tandem of Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen at the goalie position. Markstrom has two years left on his contract, while Allen only has one.
When Allen’s contract is up, Kolosov can slide in behind Markstrom, as long as Devils prospect Nico Daws doesn’t beat him to it.
Once Markstrom’s contract is up, the Devils can platoon Daws and Kolosov. Problem solved, right?
The Flyers will obviously have to navigate the rival tax in any potential trade negotiations; maybe a goalie for a goalie with 2024 second-round pick Mikhail Yegorov?
The Devils also have Anton Silayev coming through in a few years, and Russian Devils cult hero Sergei Brylin is on the team’s coaching staff. Kolosov would feel right at home, surely.
No. 3: Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators have been a logical Flyers trade partner for the better part of the last 14 months, and though nothing has come of the rumors that were out there, a deal between the two sides still makes some sense.
For example, goalies Anton Forsberg and Linus Ullmark are each on expiring contracts. After swinging a big trade for Ullmark, you’d imagine the Senators make a strong effort to retain the former Vezina Trophy winner.
As for Forsberg, his only above-average NHL season came in the 2021-22 season, when he recorded a .917 save percentage through 46 games with Ottawa. That was the only time his save percentage exceeded .910 at the NHL level.
The Senators also lack notable goalie prospects, so a trade with the Flyers for Kolosov would give them a backup goalie for 2025 and a potential long-term successor for Ullmark.
Ottawa has Nikolay Kulemin joining Artem Zub at training camp on a PTO, so the language barrier should be no issue there.
No. 2: Chicago Blackhawks
In a perfect world for the Chicago Blackhawks, No. 2 overall pick Artem Levshunov joins forces with Kolosov to lead the organization back into an era of winning hockey.
Former Flyers goalie Peter Mrazek and Lauren Brossoit, one of the league’s better career backup goalies, are both contracted in Chicago for the next two seasons. Behind them are goalies Drew Commesso and Adam Gajan, though neither appears to be particularly close to reaching the NHL level any time soon.
It’s unlikely the Flyers fetch their desired second-round pick from a team like the Blackhawks, who will likely be picking at the top of the round for the third year running.
Philadelphia may instead seek a player like Roman Kantserov or A.J. Spellacy for Kolosov, who couldn’t have a clearer path to NHL success than Chicago.
No. 1: Calgary Flames
All signs (fingers?) point to a Flyers trade with the Calgary Flames. Why?
Let’s connect the dots.
Alexei Kolosov recently changed his representation, switching from J.P. Barry to Dan Milstein. Milstein represents Belarusian forward Yegor Sharangovich and Russian sniper Andrei Kuzmenko, both of whom arrived in Calgary in the last 15 months.
Oh, and Ilya Solovyov, a restricted free agent, plays for Calgary, too.
The only player blocking Kolosov from NHL playing time is Flames goalie Dan Vladar, who was nearly traded last season. Vladar, 27, has one year remaining on his contract at a $2.2 million cap hit as the Flames seek to give the keys to the car to top prospect Dustin Wolf.
Calgary isn’t exactly in a full-fledged rebuild yet, but at some point, they have to start tearing down the drywall. A potential Flyers trade would give them a nice, youthful one-two punch of Wolf and Kolosov in goal.
And who knows? Maybe Milstein will facilitate the KHL loan Kolosov wants while Calgary rides out the season with Vladar.
On paper, the Flames appear to be the best fit for the Flyers prospect at this time.
