Flyers GM Danny Brière discusses Aleksei Kolosov’s future and potentially trading Rasmus Ristolainen and Scott Laughton

Danny Brière walked into the press conference room on Tuesday at the Flyers Training Center unaccompanied by the team’s public relations staff.

He sat in front of the backdrop and behind the microphone in a crisp white shirt and said to the assembled crowd of reporters and cameras: “Who wants to go first?”

Across the next 20-odd minutes of his annual midseason press conference, the Flyers general manager answered questions about his team — he didn’t like the start but is “pleased” with the past 15-20 games; his goalies — it’s easy to blame them for how things have gone, but he likes how Sam Ersson has played lately; and the fact that there have not been any contract talks with pending restricted free agents Tyson Foerster, Noah Cates, Morgan Frost, and Cam York. Brière clarified that he still views all four players as part of the team’s long-term core.

With that, here are four big questions from the presser:

The Flyers have three goalies on the roster, and it is unorthodox, to say the least, to carry three. Of course, it was necessary this season because of the worry about Ersson’s health, as he has missed time because of a lower-body injury.

But Ersson has been good to go since he started on Jan. 9 against the Dallas Stars, and Brière called Ivan Fedotov a “capable backup goalie,” if you take out his first three starts this season. So why has Kolosov, the only waiver-exempt goalie, not been sent to Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League?

“We’re looking into that,” Brière said. “There’s a lot of moving parts. I mean, a few days ago, he was the backup goalie. We’re looking at different options. Fedotov is the backup, so we’re looking at different things. We’re also trying to be careful with Sam. He’s played a lot. It’s not ideal having three goalies, we realize that.”

» READ MORE: Q&A: John Tortorella explains his coaching philosophies and addresses his uncertain future with the Flyers

Kolosov, 23, is promising but has struggled over his last few starts with the pace and speed of the game. He probably would be best served with further development in the AHL.

So the obvious question with Kolosov is whether he would accept a return to the Phantoms. The Belarusian goalie showed up late to camp, and rumors have swirled since that if he was sent down, he would hightail it for the Kontinental Hockey League.

“As far as I know, yes,” the GM said of Kolosov reporting to Lehigh Valley. “I don’t have any reasons to believe that he wouldn’t. That would be his decision, but it has nothing to do with anything that’s going on.”

Like sands through the hourglass, rumors about the impending departures of Rasmus Ristolainen and Scott Laughton persist.

Once again, the veterans have been name-dropped in trade talks — and Brière confirmed that teams have called about Ristolainen, the bruising defenseman. The Inquirer can confirm that the Edmonton Oilers have looked at Ristolainen before recently signing defenseman John Klingberg.

“Nothing has changed,” Brière said. “It’s still the same for us. If there’s something that makes sense for the future, we’re going to look into it.”

That’s always been the key for the Flyers GM: if it makes sense. The 6-foot-4, 208-pound Ristolainen has two more years on his deal and has brought a stabilizing presence to the blue line, alongside Egor Zamula, and on the power play. He’s a rare breed in today’s NHL: a big, physical right-shot defenseman who can move the play up the ice, but the Flyers brass is not afraid to move him if the right deal comes along.

“We get excited about trading and thinking about the kind of return we can get, but I’m not shopping him,” Brière said. “I’m not trying to get rid of him. He’s a big asset for us, and it would be a big hole if we ever have to lose him.”

Like Ristolainen, Laughton would not be a rental for another team; he still has one year left on his current deal. Although he didn’t like the start of the forward’s season — or the team’s, for that matter — the GM knows how integral Laughton is to the locker room and the turnaround.

“He’s critical to our culture. But, again, if there’s something that makes too much sense, it’s our duty to listen and to do the right thing for this organization, this team, moving forward,” Brière said.

The NHL trade deadline is March 7.

The Flyers are aware they need to upgrade at center, and the GM called it a “glaring need” on Tuesday.

Coach John Tortorella said recently that the Flyers need to find a center for Matvei Michkov, and that he didn’t think Frost, with whom he was playing at the time, was the answer. Michkov has been paired with Sean Couturier for the last handful of games, and Tortorella likes the pairing thus far, but that doesn’t mean the captain is the long-term answer.

“What I can tell you on that is we’ve tried, and we’re trying, and we’re looking at what’s out there,” Brière said. “The reality is there’s not a lot of high-end centermen in this league, and when teams have them, they want to keep them or the price is crazy. We’re not willing to give up on our future at this point.”

» READ MORE: It’s no secret the Flyers need to land a high-end center. Here are three candidates who could fit the bill.

There are rumored to be several centers on the market, including Vancouver’s Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller, along with Dylan Cozens of the Buffalo Sabres. Those are the names out there. According to the GM, the Flyers are going beyond those names.

“Believe me, we’re trying. We’re looking at everything that is out there that is available,” he said. “And we’re even asking questions on some guys that aren’t available, just to check in and to make sure.”

Would the Flyers be willing to acquire an over-30 center? Brière said it would be based on the length of the contract, the salary-cap hit, and what the return would have to be.

“If it does make sense, absolutely, but in most cases, with those older guys, it doesn’t,” he said.

The Canadians aren’t the only ones unhappy with how Team Canada did at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship.

Brière was adamant that the Flyers did not like how Canada utilized their prospects in the tournament, specifically center Jett Luchanko and defenseman Oliver Bonk. Goalie Carson Bjarnason also was on the team, but he did not play.

The organization was “disappointed” in the small role Canada gave Luchanko, who recently was named captain for the rest of the season of Guelph, his Ontario Hockey League team, but felt “he performed great” in his limited opportunities.

As for Bonk, “he had a big role, but they put him in positions that are not really what are going to be his strength moving forward, which was really weird to us.” But the GM was happy with his overall tournament and is excited for the defenseman to make his pro debut next season.

Egor Zavragin’s name has popped up recently. Brière revealed that the Russian goalie was in Voorhees before development camp, in which he did not participate.

“The future in net looks really good. They’re both 19 years old, but it takes time for goalies to come around,” he said of Zavragin and Bjarnason. “We’re going to be patient with them.”