Alexei Kolosov reportedly wants to play on loan in KHL

While it wouldn't be shocking news at this point, there is more to the Alexei Kolosov story. Shortly after changing agencies, Kolosov has continued to make it clear where he prefers to play next season.

As Kurz later adds, the situation remains fluid and could change anytime. The two sides are expected to speak soon. But the constant reports have surrounded the fact that Kolosov seems less than enthused about returning to North America. We can only speculate on why he feels that way. It could be the lack of playing time, though that was likely made clear to him with the Phantoms pushing for the playoffs during his arrival.

It could be the fact that there was not a single player on the Phantoms roster who spoke the same language. Kolosov does not speak English so communicating with his teammates was likely close to impossible. He was also in a hotel during his time in Allentown, though that is far from unusual for players coming over for the first time. It's possible he did feel like he was on an island by himself.

The original agreement between Kolosov and the Flyers was that the Belarusian goaltender would play on loan for Dinamo Minsk in the 2023-24 season before coming to North America to make his professional debut. Kolosov did just that, improving upon his GAA in a career-high 47 games. His SV% dipped slightly, but not enough to be concerned.

As expected, Kolosov came over and was sent to the Phantoms to get a feel for the game and work on things ahead of a starting role in 2024-25. Kolosov appeared in two games during his time in Lehigh Valley. The numbers weren't exactly sharp, but it's fair to say he was going to need time to adjust. He served as a backup during the postseason, but barring an injury, he was never going to get into a game.

That brings us to where we are now. Different reports have come out from both sides about the plans for Kolosov. There have been talks that he wanted his contract with the Flyers terminated. Philadelphia has stressed that they expected Kolosov to come to training camp in September. Though, the Phantoms seem to have a plan in place that does not involve Kolosov returning.

As for what Kolosov appears to want, it's not likely the Flyers would want him to return to the KHL. It was an agreement for one season in which they already burned a year off his ELC. Burning another year to do this would not benefit them in any way. And there's no guarantee that Kolosov would return. If he wasn't keen on coming back for this upcoming year, who's to say that he doesn't continue to hold those feelings? Without adjusting to the North American game and culture, it would be just as hard for him as it was previously.

Again, things can change and will continue to develop in the coming weeks. But if Kolosov is set on not coming back, the Flyers may not have much of a choice.