Kolosov makes debut as Flyers weigh GK options
PHILADELPHIA — Aleksei Kolosov became the first Belarusian-born goalie in NHL history Sunday night when he started for the Philadelphia Flyers against the Montreal Canadiens.
The 22-year-old Kolosov was recalled by the Flyers on Saturday night and immediately inserted into the lineup against Montreal. He made 20 saves in Philadelphia’ 4-3 loss to the Canadiens, the Flyers’ seventh loss in eight games.
His best save came when he slid post-to-post in the second period to stop Cole Caufield on a 2-on-0 break.
“I thought (he) played good and he made some really good saves,” Flyers coach John Tortorella said.
The Flyers have gotten spotty goaltending so far from starter Samuel Ersson and backup Ivan Fedotov. When announcing Kolosov as his starter before the game, Tortorella said the Flyers had not gotten the performances they needed from Fedotov so far this season.
“Ivan hasn’t played well enough,” Tortorella said. “We’re trying to solve, trying to look at the situation and see where it goes.”
One of the issues the Flyers have to work through with Kolosov is communication. Kolosov doesn’t speak English, so there are some times when he and his defensemen aren’t on the same page.
“The (defensemen) are talking and you can tell he doesn’t fully understand what we are calling and he ends up rimming a couple of the pucks,” defenseman Travis Sanheim said. “It’s something we have to continue to work on. It’s a tough spot (for him) to be put in, but I thought he made some key saves tonight.”
Kolosov was a third-round pick by the Flyers in 2021. He spent parts of four seasons in the KHL before coming over to North America for the first time at the end of last season, playing in two games with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, the Flyers’ AHL affiliate.
Kolosov and the Flyers had a tumultuous summer. First, the goalie chose not to take part in Philadelphia’s rookie camp in July and later didn’t report for the start of training camp, citing a desire to void playing in the AHL again.
Through his agent, he indicated to the Flyers that he wanted to play in the NHL or be loaned back to his Minsk team in the KHL. The Flyers wouldn’t comply with the loan and there was a short stalemate between the sides before Kolosov agreed to come over near the end of training camp. He played in one preseason game with the Flyers before being sent down to Lehigh Valley.
Part of the agreement to get him to report included the Flyers telling him he would be given an opportunity at the NHL level at some point this season.
That opportunity came in Philadelphia’s ninth game.
The Flyers feel Kolosov put the issues he experienced at the end of last season and in the summer behind him and that he’s in a better place now after just a few weeks in the AHL.
“As far as attitude and where Kolosov’s mind is right now, we have gotten good reports as far as how he has gone about his business down there,” Tortorella said.
Kolosov started four games with the Phantoms before being recalled. He had a 3.29 GAA and an 0.875 save percentage.
Cincinnati Reds left-hander Wade Miley said Friday that he has not been accused of any wrongdoing, one day after reports stated a deposition from a lawsuit alleged he supplied Tyler Skaggs with drugs when both players were with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The deposition is part of a motion for summary judgment filed by the Los Angeles Angels, requesting a lawsuit from the Skaggs family be dismissed.
The deposition from Ryan Hamill, Skaggs’ agent, contains testimony that he was concerned in 2013 about Skaggs’ drug use. Hamill said he and Skaggs’ family confronted Skaggs about his drug use. Skaggs was then in his second season as a teammate of Miley with the Diamondbacks.
“He came clean,” Hamill testified. “He said he had been using — I believe it was Percocets — and he said he got them through Wade Miley.”
Skaggs died on July 1, 2019, at age 27 in a Dallas-area hotel. The autopsy found fentanyl, oxycodone and alcohol in his system.
Miley briefly addressed the issue before Friday’s road game against the Detroit Tigers.
“I hate what happened to Tyler, it sucks. My thoughts are with his family and his friends,” Miley said. “But I’m not going to sit here and talk about things that someone might have said about me or whatnot. I was never a witness for any of this. I was never accused of any wrongdoing.”
Former Angels communications director Eric Kay is serving a 22-year prison sentence in Texas after being found guilty on two charges of providing drugs related on Skaggs’ overdose.
The Athletic reported that the criminal proceedings against Kay included a recorded phone conversation in which Kay told his mother that Miley was a drug source to Skaggs.
Asked if Major League Baseball has contacted him regarding the allegations, Miley said, “I’d rather just focus on the Cincinnati Reds right now and baseball and what I have to do moving forward. I’ve got to get ready for a game on Sunday.”
Miley was mentioned in Kay’s criminal case, but he was never charged with a crime.
Skaggs was traded to the Angels after the 2013 season. He went 28-38 with a 4.41 ERA in 96 career starts.
Miley, 38, is with his eighth big league team and attempting to revive his career after Tommy John surgery in 2024.
Miley has a career 109-99 mark with a 4.09 ERA in 319 games (311 starts) since making his major league debut in 2011. This is his second go-round with the Reds. He was with the team in the 2020 and 2021 seasons, going 12-10 with a 3.55 ERA in 177⅓ innings over 34 starts (32 innings).
The Skaggs family is suing the Angels, contending that high-level team officials, as well as other employees, knew Kay was a drug user and should have known he was Skaggs’ source.
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