Flyers GM Danny Brière talks Jett Luchanko, Alexei Kolosov, and more: ‘He’s blown us away from Day 1’

Heading into the weekend, the Flyers announced their final roster cuts.

On Monday, the team made its opening-night roster 100% official and there won’t be one teenager on the charter to Vancouver this Tuesday — there will be two. The 19-year-old Matvei Michkov will be joined by Jett Luchanko, who just turned 18 in August.

“Going into training camp, I never thought he had much of a chance — more of an outside chance, small outside chance, to be honest. But he’s blown us away from Day 1,” general manager Danny Brière said of Luchanko on Monday at his annual press conference ahead of the season.

“The speed is one thing that really jumped out: top NHL speed already at such a young age, that’s impressive. And then you start watching him play, and it’s just the detail, all the little details in this game, the way he supports everybody, the way he makes players around him better was very impressive.”

» READ MORE: Flyers’ 23-man opening night roster headlined by rookies Matvei Michkov and Jett Luchanko

Brière says there are no guarantees Luchanko, who was drafted 13th overall just a few short months ago, will get more than the nine-game audition afforded to Canadian Hockey League players; if he plays a 10th game, the first year of his contract will kick in.

As of now though, no decisions have been made about Luchanko. The 5-foot-11, 180-pound center will get a good chance to show what he can do between veterans Joel Farabee and Bobby Brink. He is also slated to play on the second power-play unit with his linemates, and Tyson Foerster and Egor Zamula.

Not a shabby start.

While goals and points are an easy way to see how things are going, Brière and Co. just want to see that Luchanko is playing the game the right way as he is rushed to the NHL. And the GM knows there are guys on both sides of the spectrum in terms of when they get the NHL call this early, citing Patrice Bergeron as someone who excelled. But Brière is not worried if Luchanko is sent back to Guelph of the Ontario Hockey League.

“That’s probably the one area that everybody’s raving about him is his character, his demeanor ... he’s a very mature person already,” Brière said of Luchanko, who due to the CHL-NHL rules cannot go to Lehigh Valley. “I don’t want to put more pressure on him, and I’m not going to throw the names that were used to compare him with because I don’t want that out there, but it’s impressive. The way people that have been around him, how they see [him] as far as his leadership, how he carries himself. The comparisons that were being used to try to explain Jett Luchenko.”

While the kids are all right, Brière was less than thrilled with the veterans in camp. Asked about captain Sean Couturier, the GM said he showed up in great shape and was able to handle the difficult camp John Tortorella is known for — but he thought he was “just OK” in games. And he wasn’t the only one.

“I talked to the veterans this morning, and I didn’t like the game part of our training camp from most of our veterans. ... I get it; also it’s games that don’t really matter and you don’t want to get hurt,” he said, adding he thought everyone came to camp in great shape. “You’re trying to get prepared and get ready for Game 1, but it’s also tough to turn that switch on.

“So I told the players, I said: ‘There’s too many of you that are just a little too casual in the games,’ and I don’t want them to be surprised when Game 1 starts. ... We’re facing a really good team to start with on top of that, and I told the guys, you got to start to get the right mindset as far as competing. So, you know, a lot of the guys, it just wasn’t quite good enough in the games.”

» READ MORE: The Flyers seem to be starting 2024 first-rounder Jett Luchanko in the NHL. Is that a mistake?

The Alexei Kolosov saga may just have a happy ending.

Kolosov reported to training camp on Sept. 27 — nine days after it started and months after rumors swirled about his unhappiness in Lehigh Valley. The Belarusian goalie came to the U.S. around April 1 and appeared in two games last season with the Phantoms. He served as the backup during the postseason and in the weeks that followed there were reports Kolosov was homesick and wanted to return to the Kontinental Hockey League.

Brière said Kolosov felt he needed another year in the KHL, but the team did not agree.

“We basically told him we want to see you, we want to know where you’re at. So that’s the exciting part for him coming over,” he said. “There’s nothing set in stone, as far as, where he is going to be? Is he going to be in Lehigh the whole year? Is he going to play some games with the Flyers? You know how it works, it could be injuries, it could be changes. It is something we’re going to evaluate pretty much on a weekly basis.”

The GM acknowledges it was tough start to Kolosov’s time in North America, especially with him coming in so late in the year and the Flyers battling for a playoff spot. One of the issues that arose last season was Kolosov did not have a Russian-speaking teammate in Allentown. Brière said Kolosov understands English but isn’t comfortable speaking the language. He will also have Latvian Rodrigo Abols, who does speak Russian, in Lehigh Valley.

“Seeing him now, he’s really engaged. Our goalie coaches, both here and in Lehigh, were raving about him, his work ethic, how engaged he was. I know yesterday the guys took him out and, they didn’t tell me where they went with him, but they had a good time with him,” Brière said with a chuckle.

» READ MORE: Flyers find motivation in the Phillies’ postseason success: ‘That’s where we want to get to’

“That was why it was so surprising to hear all these things, because when I spoke to the players in Lehigh Valley, they all had great things to say about Alexei the person. He’s definitely a little shy and not the most outgoing person, but all the guys said, super nice to everyone and never had an issue with him in the dressing room. They really enjoyed him so I hope he starts to feel more comfortable as well with the group.”

What happens now is unknown, but one thing has changed. At his Sept. 17 press conference, before the start of training camp, Brière said the Flyers “have no interest in loaning him back” to the KHL. Monday he said: “That’s also a possibility. We haven’t made a decision but we haven’t taken anything off the table.”

The Flyers have cut ties with Ryan Johansen, but Ryan Johansen is not done with the Flyers.

Acquired in March, in addition to a first-round pick, from the Colorado Avalanche in the Sean Walker trade, Johansen never suited up for the Flyers or their American Hockey League affiliate in Lehigh Valley, citing an injury. At the end of August, he was placed “on unconditional waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract due to a material breach.” He cleared waivers and in the eyes of Brière, Johansen’s time in the organization was done.

At the time of getting waived, Johansen’s agent, Kurt Overhardt, and his agency, KO Sports, released a statement saying the forward “has a severe hockey injury that requires extensive surgery which has been scheduled.”

As is their right, the NHLPA filed a grievance on Sept. 26. The Flyers are involved but lawyers are more involved with the process now.

When the contract was terminated, the Flyers expected to free up another $4 million in salary-cap space. Johansen was due to receive the final $8 million of an eight-year, $64 million contract he signed with the Nashville Predators. The Predators were retaining the other $4 million.

“As far as the cap, you know, the NHL has told us that, at the moment, it is off our cap,” Brière said. “But, I’m also aware that if we lose our case, that is going to come back, and I don’t know how it’s going to be distributed moving forward. But it’s money, unfortunately, that I can’t use at the moment, just in case this doesn’t go the way we are hoping for.”

Guy Gaudreau was at Flyers practice on Monday. ... Nick Seeler missed practice again. He is day to day after blocking a pass in the Flyers preseason game against the Boston Bruins last week.