Philadelphia Flyers prospect trying to hold the team hostage

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Cooper Godin
September 19, 2024 (9:17)

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A Philadelphia Flyers prospect is trying to hold the team hostage heading into the 2024-25 season.

The Philadelphia Flyers will open up training camp on Thursday with their first on-ice sessions and it's expected that they'll be without one of their goaltending options - Alexei Kolosov.

Earlier this summer, a report came out that stated Kolosov didn't want to return to Lehigh Valley in the AHL because the team put him in a hotel by himself and he felt very isolated, especially because he doesn't speak great English.

It was unclear what that meant for his future in Philadelphia both immediately and in the coming years. Kolosov has been made available in trade talks recently and it sounds like he's holding the organization hostage based on where he wants to play this coming season.

When speaking with reporters on Tuesday, Flyers General Manager Daniel Briere was asked about Alexei Kolosov and said that the Belarusian netminder was seeking a full-time NHL role this season and didn't want to play in the American Hockey League. Briere added that if he didn't get an NHL job, he wanted to return to the KHL and play for his hometown team, Dynamo Minsk.

According to Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia, Briere went on to defend the team down in Lehigh Valley, as well as their coaching staff and development staff, saying that they did all they could to be there for Kolosov during his brief stint in North America at the end of last season.

During his media availability, Briere also mentioned that they don't have any interest in loaning Alexei Kolosov back to the KHL this season, leaving the 22-year-old in a bit of a limbo on where he'll see game action this year.

"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 and we want him to start integrating himself into the game the way it's played in North America." Briere said.

He added, "We can still hope he shows up at some point if he wants to play hockey. We hope that he changes his mind and decides to come, but it's not looking like it at this point."

The Flyers are set to open their 2024-25 campaign, with or without Alexei Kolosov, on Friday, October 11th against the Vancouver Canucks.

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Where should Alexei Kolosov be playing this season?
NHL	4	7.1 %
AHL, not ready for the NHL just yet	34	60.7 %
Back in the KHL (If Flyers agree to loan him)	18	32.1 %
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