What’s next for Aleksei Kolosov and the Philadelphia Flyers?
You don’t often see a goaltender with zero NHL Games and just two AHL appearances get all that much attention – especially during the dog days of summer. But when it came to Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Aleksei Kolosov, the Belarusian took up his fair share (and then some) of oxygen this summer.
Kolosov, 22, arrived in Lehigh Valley last spring with the expectation of slowly getting adjusted to the North American game before jumping into a full season in 2024-25. In the two games he played with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, Kolosov’s modest numbers (3.05 goals-against average and .885 save percentage) furthered the Flyers’ belief that he was in need of a full season in the AHL to further his development.
Kolosov didn’t feel the same way.
Although it was no secret that the internal plan for the Flyers was to have Kolosov be the Phantoms’ starting goaltender and, overall, No. 3 in the pecking order behind Samuel Ersson and Ivan Fedotov to start the 2024-25 campaign, the 2021 third-round pick shifted his expectation as to what he wanted if he was to come overseas.
A lot of rumors, stories and theories were thrown around during the summer as to what exactly transpired for Kolosov to dig in as he did. While the language barrier between Kolosov and his teammates was certainly an issue, I think a lot of other things we heard were blown out of proportion and the result of “broken telephone” after being filtered through several channels before ultimately being leaked to media members. Ultimately, this came down to one thing: Kolosov wanting to be in the NHL from the hop.
Based on conversations I’ve had with those close to the situation, Kolosov’s belief in himself of being NHL-ready is not completely unfounded. I’ve been told that there is a belief that there are elements to Kolosov’s game that, even today, are NHL-caliber. But at just 22 years old and having played only two games in North America, the Flyers believe that a (close to) full season as Lehigh Valley’s starter is what is best for his development.
While an eventual re-loan back to Minsk – we’ll get to more of that in a bit – is not completely off the table, as Flyers GM Daniel Briere alluded to on Monday morning, the internal belief has been, and continues to be, that Kolosov’s development is best served in North America with the Phantoms. Furthermore, there is a good chance that Kolosov will see time in the NHL this season.
More than ever, we are seeing teams use (at least) three goaltenders over the course of a full season. The Flyers carried three goaltenders to start the season last year, while the Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Canadiens did the same for long stretches, as well. In a lot of respects, the Toronto Maple Leafs’ season last year was saved by their third string goaltender, Martin Jones, who stepped in and played better than anyone could’ve expected during Ilya Samsonov’s struggles and as Joseph Woll worked his way back from injury.
The days of 70+ game starters have long passed and sports science has stressed more and more how taxing the NHL schedule can be for goalies. Between injuries and load management, third-string goaltenders are being depended on more frequently.
In the case of the Flyers, their goaltending position is anything but a guarantee.
While Ersson had an impressive camp and is expected to be the team’s starter, there are some internal concerns about Fedotov. To be fair, Fedotov, like Kolosov, only came to North America last spring and probably needs a bit more time to get properly adjusted to the style of play. Though in the NHL, Fedotov has played just one more (three) game than Kolosov since coming overseas. Given this, there is a possibility that Fedotov will struggle at points, which could open the door for Kolosov.
Now one may ask why Fedotov, seemingly, is getting preferential treatment and a guaranteed spot when he and Kolosov are, in many ways, in the same boat.
Fedotov’s two-year contract with its $3.275 million AAV is a large reason, which was the cost of getting the soon to be 28-year-old out of a sticky (to put it very lightly) situation in the KHL and playing with the Flyers. Along with being five years older than Kolosov and being one of the better goaltenders in Russia for stretches, Fedotov’s towering frame of 6-foot-7 and 214 pounds will help him get better adjusted in a quicker fashion than his Belarusian counterpart. With North American Hockey being more of a North/South game, goaltenders are subject to more contact – therefore a higher chance of injury – than in Russia on a larger playing surface.
All this being said, what are we to expect from Kolosov?
In the immediate future, he will be the Phantoms’ starting goaltender but a loan back to Minsk of the KHL is not entirely impossible.
Minsk is in need of a starting goaltender – something that has not been made a secret to those tracking this situation closely. I’ve been told that Minsk would respect Kolosov’s contract with the Flyers and only bring him in should the Flyers officially loan him, as they did for the 2023-24 season. Although Minsk is playing nice in an official capacity, I wonder if some lobbying behind the scenes is being done to court Kolosov into returning as their starting goalie.
I’ve heard some rumblings that KHL teams have been telling Russian and Belarusian born players that the AHL is inferior competition to the KHL in an effort to retain their players. While I can’t say for certain that Minsk has been getting in Kolosov’s ear, the player’s sudden stance of not wanting to return to North America unless it was in the NHL suggests this as a possibility.
How long will we see Kolosov in Lehigh Valley? That remains to be seen, but the immediate plan for the Flyers was to get Kolosov over here for him to give it a try – something they achieved. Perhaps Kolosov will have a change of heart after starting the season with the Phantoms and being deployed as the team’s starter to start the season.
Regardless of how the chips fall, I’d expect a resolution, one way or another, around American Thanksgiving, if not sooner.
Jett Luchanko Makes Opening Night Roster
In a development that shocked even those within the Flyers, 2024 first round pick Jett Luchanko has made the Flyers’ opening night roster. As of Monday, Luchanko is centering the team’s third line with Bobby Brink and Joel Farabee, per NBC’s Jordan Hall.
Luchanko, who turned 18 in August, was not expected to make the club when training camp opened. His skating and “little details” in his game are what wowed the Flyers, I’ve been told, with one person telling me a lot of his attributes are already better than those of other players on the roster.
The question with Luchanko will be how his offense will translate to the NHL. While the belief is that he’s NHL ready as far as his details and skating go, there’s an argument to be made that his offensive game would stand to improve with a return to the OHL and the ability to be a premier player for Team Canada at the upcoming World Junior Hockey Championship.
Conversely, there is a risk of sending Luchanko back to Junior if he proves to be “too good” among his compatriots. The risk of having a player too good for his competition is having bad habits develop because everything comes at ease. An example of this is fellow Flyers’ pivot Morgan Frost, who was offensively dominant during his final years in the OHL but struggled to adapt to the NHL in other areas.
The Flyers have nine games to get a free look at Luchanko, but I think the only guarantee is that he will be with the club for the duration of the four-game, Western road trip to start the season. What the Flyers have to evaluate now is if Luchanko will hit the ground running like Patrice Bergeron did as an 18-year-old pivot with the Boston Bruins, or if there will be irreparable damage done to his game by being rushed too early like Jesperi Kotkaniemi with the Montreal Canadiens.
Luchanko getting in any games at this point should be viewed as a success; the question now is if he will give the Flyers a legitimate reason to burn off the first year of his Entry Level Contract.
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