Alexei Kolosov Situation With Flyers Is More Nuanced Than Solely Blaming Briere

The drama surrounding goaltending prospect Alexei Kolosov’s reported refusal to return to the Philadelphia Flyers has given fans plenty to talk and debate about, with many placing the blame for the situation squarely on Flyers GM Danny Briere’s shoulders.

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The thing is, it’s not that black and white.

It can’t be overstated that the general public doesn’t know the details of the situation. Nobody from Kolosov’s team has commented on the reports, and the only thing the Flyers have said is that they fully expect the young goalie to participate in preseason camps (which he is contractually obligated to do).

A source said that Kolosov felt “isolated” during his stay with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, lending credence to reports that Kolosov was dealing with severe homesickness after his arrival in the U.S. in April. He apparently was also disappointed with his playing time, only appearing in two games during the tail end of the 2023-24 season.

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It’s understandable that a young player could feel out-of-place in a new country and new league, especially when many people on the Phantoms don’t speak his language, but people seem to think that Briere and the rest of the Flyers front office “abandoned” Kolosov in a hotel and dusted their hands of the situation. In what world would any NHL front office do that to a new player, much less a front office that has consistently shown how much they care about making their players comfortable in the organization?

As for the limited game time, it’s natural to feel unhappy with so few minutes, but Briere stated from the get-go that Kolosov would be starting out his Flyers career with the Phantoms, and that Ivan Fedotov (who arrived at the same time) would assume backup duties at the top level.

Kolosov and Fedotov have the same agency representation, and Briere has always made a point about being transparent with his players about what the expectations are for them and what responsibilities they’ll have within the team. Kolosov might not have agreed with his placement, but it’s not like Briere promised him a spot on the NHL roster and then switched up at the last minute. He would have been aware of the plan since before his arrival, and if he’s expressing frustration because he thought that he deserved more, that’s on him—not Briere.

It may be a tedious and frustrating thing to endure, but he’s far from the first player to experience that path to The Show. Plenty of current Flyers (Cam York, Tyson Foerster, Morgan Frost, Bobby Brink, etc.) have had to pay their AHL dues before earning a spot on the top roster. It’s counterproductive to get fed up after two games and give up on his NHL aspirations, but if that really is the case, again, that is on Kolosov.

As general manager, Briere does have a certain amount of responsibility in overseeing the journey of prospects, but when the prospects have their minds made up on a course of action and resort to childish and immature tactics to try and have their demands met (see also: Cutter Gauthier), Briere has made it crystal clear that he has no interest in bending the knee. He didn’t give in to the brattiness of a top prospect like Gauthier, so it’s extremely doubtful that he’ll tolerate the antics of a less elite talent like Kolosov.

The blame game is exhausting, irritating, and nothing but a breeding ground for disingenuous shock-value opinions and clickbait. The offseason can get boring for many hockey fans, and a saga like this allows the kind of pot-stirring and keyboard wars that’ll get fans through the sluggish summer months.

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