Rumors resurface on Alexei Kolosov’s future with the Flyers

The plot appears to be thickening when it comes to the status of Alexei Kolosov and whether or not he will return to Philadelphia after this offseason.

Before we get into the latest news, we'll take it back to the end of March when Kolosov first came to North America. Kolosov's KHL team, Dinamo Minsk, first broke the news of the Belarusian goaltender deciding to continue his professional career with Philadelphia. Shortly after, the Flyers loaned Kolosov to the AHL to get his feet wet with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

Days after the news broke about Kolosov, Ivan Fedotov was surprisingly released from his KHL contract and was also coming to the Flyers. This was not something anyone expected. It's hard to say if Fedotov's surprise arrival changed plans with Kolosov. He was loaned to the Phantoms on Apr. 2 while Fedotov debuted with Philadelphia the night before.

Regardless, Kolosov appeared in two games with the Phantoms, posting a 3.03 GAA and a .885 SV%. He won his first professional game and took the loss in the other. Due to the Phantoms' playoff push and the play of Cal Petersen, there weren't many chances for Kolosov to play. The team wasn't going to throw him into the Calder Cup playoffs. The goal was for him to get his feet wet and prepare him to be the starter the following season.

More rumors arise regarding Alexei Kolosov's future with the Flyers

It was shortly after that when rumors first began of Kolosov not adjusting well to North America and possibly deciding to return to play in the KHL. Both those close to the goaltender and the Flyers threw cold water on the report. It's not unlikely that Kolosov could have been feeling homesick. Coming over to a new country and speaking very little English can be hard on anyone. Especially if there is no one around who has the same experiences. But giving up on an NHL dream after only a month wouldn't show a ton of commitment.

More fuel was added to the fire when Kolosov did not come to the Flyers' development camp earlier this month. Danny Briere spoke on the decision, stating the team felt it was better that he remain home and said the two sides were communicating. Briere added that Kolosov said there was nothing to the rumblings about him not wanting to come back.

The same source that first reported that Kolosov was thinking about going back to the KHL has recently added more. The news is now that Kolosov has asked his Dinamo Minsk management to figure out a way to help terminate his contract in the NHL. He was seen training with the team, not unusual for a player overseas to do. But with the rumors flying around, it has led to more speculation.

Without more of a valid source reporting this news, it's hard to believe whether or not it is true. The site also reported that Kolosov had every intention of attending development camp with the Flyers and simply overslept his flight. It's even harder to believe that because he simply could've gotten another flight or reached out to Philadelphia about getting there. And with Briere stating they allowed him to remain in Belarus, this rumor makes less and less sense.

Kolosov is under contract with the Flyers and cannot play anywhere else without their permission. He was originally loaned to Minsk after signing his ELC, but that was only for the 2023-24 season. This is not the same as the Cutter Gauthier situation. Gauthier never signed a deal with Philadelphia as he refused to talk to anyone. For Kolosov, he signed his deal and even came over to begin his career with the Flyers organization.

Never say never. We won't know the truth until rookie and training camp roll around in a few months. If Kolosov remains absent, then we can start to believe he may find a way out of his deal. And if he shows up, we will know this was all just smoke in the wind.