NHL Rumors: Where Will Things Go With Alexei Kolosov and the Philadelphia Flyers
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Sportsnet: Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas on the 32 Thoughts: The Podcast – Live From L.A. It’s 32 Thoughts episode, on the Philadelphia Flyers situation with goaltender Alexei Kolosov, who is now at the Flyers training camp and where things may go.

** NHLRumors.com transcription

Bukaukas: “So let’s go to Philadelphia next, Elliotte. Alexei Kolosov, their young goaltending prospect. We talked about, a few years ago how it did not seem very promising, the idea of him coming over to Philadelphia. It looked like he was going to stay back home in Russia.

There was talks about, would the Flyers trade him and the other teams that would be acquiring him, do they think they had a chance of bringing them over? It sounds like that’s all been avoided. He is going to come to Philly. How did the Flyers and Kolosov sort all of this out?”

Who has more leverage: Jeremy Swayman or the Boston Bruins?

Friedman: “A friend of mine said that Daniel Briere should be named ambassador to Russia, because he seems to be able to solve a lot of problems here, Michkov, Fedotov and now Kolosov.

Now, the bottom line is, Kolosov has a contract. And you know, I think in all of our lives, unless you have a really good reason, if you sign a contract, then you have to live up to the terms of it, right? So, Kolosov has a contract.

From what I heard, and I haven’t spoken to him but I heard that he really thought he may have a better path to the NHL than maybe what was shown at the end of last year, or he thought was possible this year.

But the bottom line is a signed contract. And the NHL feels very strongly that even though it doesn’t have all of the agreements, it does, you do have to honor each other’s contracts. So I think Kolosov kind of realized that, that’s the case.

This was brewing over the last couple of days, but one of the things about the Flyers is that they are they’re very careful about saying anything because until he actually gets on the plane to come, you just never know what’s going to happen. But he’s on his way back.

I believe he’s going to play exhibition games. I believe he’s going to play for the American Hockey League team to start the year, unless something happens, like an injury or something that gets him in the NHL right away.

To me, the biggest question is, and all of the number of these players have it is, the European assignment clause. And you know, there’s some players they have it at the beginning of the season. There’s some players who agree not to put it in there until a certain part of the year. Like, I’ll play in the AHL till, say, for argument’s sake, December 15, and then I’ll go back if I’m not in the NHL yet.

I believe there’s some kind of understanding here that there will be an option open to him if he’s not in the NHL by a certain time. But the best thing he can do is show up and play well, because that’s the only thing, or the best thing, that will get him to the National Hockey League.”

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Charlie O’Connor: “FWIW, I asked Kolosov’s agent Dan Milstein about the speculation that the two sides came to an understanding about a possible loan back to the KHL if he’s not getting NHL time. He responded that he cannot comment on “baseless rumors.” Take that for what you will.”