On March 26, a 22-year-old netminder of the Philadelphia Flyers, Alexei Kolosov, officially ended his tenure in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). His Dinamo Minsk club announced that he would be coming over to North America after the conclusion of their team’s season. He is currently on a three-year entry-level contract with the Orange and Black.
Kolosov is arguably the best goaltender the Flyers have in the organization in terms of potential. For now, whether he goes to the American Hockey League (AHL) to finish the season or joins the Flyers is unclear. Regardless, the organization now has the freedom to do whatever it pleases with the promising young goaltender.
Who Is Alexei Kolosov?
Kolosov is a 6-foot-1 Belarusian netminder whose biggest strength is his athleticism. He has plenty of highlight-reel saves, serving as one of the best pure athletic goaltenders the Flyers have had in a long time. He has also put up solid numbers in the KHL, with a .907 save percentage (SV%) and a 2.39 goals-against average (GAA) in 2023-24 with a 22-21-3 record and four shutouts.
He had a 2-4 record in the playoffs but a .925 SV% and a 2.21 GAA. His .909 SV% and 2.56 GAA in 120 contests in his career are not too shabby for the youngster. The KHL is still one of the top hockey leagues in the world, so for him to be that comfortable at his age should be inspiring for Philadelphia.
How Does This Impact the Flyers?
The Flyers are in a unique position. While they are rebuilding, they are also in a good spot to make the playoffs with 87.2 percent odds per Money Puck, with just 10 games left in the regular season. They also have a goaltending problem. While their 24-year-old rookie starter, Sam Ersson, has been remarkable despite a rather subpar .898 SV%, the backups have not.
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Cal Petersen, the team’s first backup, registered a .864 SV% and a 3.90 GAA in five appearances. The Flyers, realizing that wasn’t going to cut it, called up AHL netminder Felix Sandstrom to try and stop the bleeding. However, it only got worse from there. In five appearances, he has a lowly .823 SV% and a 3.87 GAA.
It would likely be best for Kolosov to get some time to settle down after playing in over 50 games this season in the KHL, but he could get some competitive NHL games under his belt if the Flyers take the risk to play him. In desperate need of an adequate backup, Kolosov might be the answer. It would be a bold move, but it’s not hard to see why the Flyers would want his services. A game or two in the NHL might be beneficial for his development.
In the future, Kolosov will likely battle for the starting job with Ersson, 18-year-old Carson Bjarnason, and 18-year-old Yegor Zavragin. The Flyers are pretty stacked in terms of young goaltenders, and any one of them could take charge to become the answer between the pipes. The upside is in Kolosov’s favor at this stage, though.
Kolosov’s potential lies with his talent more than his stats, but even they are good for a young goaltender in a professional league. In all likelihood, he will spend some time in the AHL to hone his craft for the rest of this season and perhaps a decent chunk of the 2024-25 campaign. If he plays well enough, he could take over the NHL backup role for good pretty soon.