It has long been rumored that enigmatic Philadelphia Flyers goalie prospect Aleksei Kolosov would leave his NHL future behind to return home to Dinamo Minsk, his hometown club in the KHL. But he may not be going anywhere after all.
On Wednesday, former Washington and Montreal goalie Zach Fucale signed with Minsk, becoming the highest-paid goalie in the KHL, as announced by his agency, Gold Star Hockey, on Telegram.
With this news, Minsk now has two well-established goalies on its roster in Fucale, who was apparently invested in significantly, and Vasili Demchenko, who recently signed a two-year contract extension with the KHL outfit.
It's also worth noting that the three goalies share an agency, so nobody is doing Kolosov any kind of favors in terms of facilitating a return to Dinamo.
And that, ultimately, leaves Kolosov as the odd man out, as Dinamo continues to respect the contract he has with the Flyers and refuses to wait for further clarity on his future in the NHL.
Kolosov, 23, is one of three goalies on the Flyers' roster as things stand, joining Ivan Fedotov and Sam Ersson. All three of them will see their contracts expire at the end of the upcoming season, which leaves an opportunity for someone to take the reins and establish themselves as a player the Flyers want to build with.
Kolosov, while the youngest of the bunch, is no further along that trail than his more seasoned counterparts. The Belarusian has shown flashes, yes, but he's been equally unimpressive at both the AHL and NHL levels.
In 29 games in the Flyers organization last season, Kolosov managed just a 10-15-2 record with a save percentage no higher than .884 in either league.
So, in order to forge a path to an NHL future for himself, Kolosov must play out the last year of his contract and show evidence of positive development to justify another deal from the Flyers.
He's got the support of his colleagues and countrymen behind him, and even those back home wish to see Kolosov stick it out and make something of himself in the Orange and Black.
Whether the Flyers give him the chance to do that remains to be seen, but other options for Kolosov are far and few between at this moment in time, and a return home does not appear to be among them.