Drama Continues Between Flyers and Top Goalie Prospect

After a summer of speculation and back and forth, the Philadelphia Flyers still have an unresolved situation with one of their top goaltending prospects.

Philadelphia Flyers - © Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports /

The Philadelphia Flyers are beginning year three under head coach John Tortorella. So far, the sense is that the team is improving, going from 25 to 31 and then 31 to 38 wins with Torts behind the bench.

One area the Flyers still need a solution is in net. They have three goaltenders under contract set to see NHL time this season, but the workhorse isn't clear. It's possible that there isn't one. That includes 22-year-old puck-stopped Aleksei Kolosov, who has been the subject of frequent discussion and speculation over the summer.

The Flyers' top goalie prospect is set to start the year in the AHL and that will only exacerbate an issue that hasn't been resolved. After Kolosov made his North American debut at the end of last season, he returned to training with the team he was under contract with in the KHL and took an extended amount of time to return for training camp in Philadelphia.

Things seemed to settle once he returned for Flyers' preseason games. But then the issue rose again to the surface as he was assigned to the AHL.

Anthony Di Marco of The Daily Faceoff provided a recent update on the situation. As one of the media members with the closest line on the team, Di Marco shared some intel from his conversations with unnamed folks with knowledge of the drama.

"Based on conversations I’ve had with those close to the situation," he writes. "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." 

With the two sides still at a crossroads, the possibility exists for the young goalie to return to the KHL for more playing time. He remains a call-up candidate for the Flyers until anything like that happens, but there is one thing that is clear: the drama between Kolosov and the Philadelphia organization is far from over.

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