Is the goaltending situation for the Philadelphia Flyers (17-20-5) starting to clear up?
Before Sam Ersson returned last night in a 4-1 loss to the Dallas Stars, John Tortorella deployed Ivan Fedotov in the home-and-home versus the Toronto Maple Leafs. Consecutive starts signaled more confidence from the bench boss in Fedotov, previously labeled the 3G.
Last night, Tortorella made Fedotov the backup goaltender to Ersson. That denotes a graduation from 3G to 2G. Ersson remains the starting goaltender.
“We’re still talking about it. I’m not sure. [We’re] just trying to get Ers [Ersson] going. That’s the key thing; to see what happens there, and then we’ll make our call.” – John Tortorella; 1/10/2025
What does all of this say about Alexei Kolosov? Tortorella strongly advocated Kolosov as the 2G after dismissing Fedotov after the first period versus the Florida Panthers on December 5th, 2024. The word regarding Fedotov was that he wasn’t sharp. No goaltender on the Flyers roster is sharp, but to the eye and metrics, Kolosov wasn’t the answer.
At a glance, last night’s depth chart suggests Kolosov is settling into the 3G role. As the season continues, Philadelphia will not permanently hold on to three goaltenders on their roster. Kolosov is the only waiver-exempt goaltender on the roster, and frankly, he needs extensive time to develop on the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the AHL. The increasing popular opinion shares how the Flyers should continue the season with Ersson and Fedotov. Elliotte Friedman, in his ’32 Thoughts: The Podcast’, mentioned there is talk about sending Kolosov down to the Phantoms:
“I’m watching Philly. We just did two games, back-to-back, against Toronto, and I watched them against Dallas on Thursday night. They need goaltending help. As a matter of fact, there’s some talk that they may ask Kolosov to go to the American Hockey League for a few days and just play, just to get some action. I look at them, and I see a team that, if not now, then eventually, they’re going to have to look for goaltending. I see teams that have holes that they need to fix, and we’re going to talk about Buffalo with you [Bukauskas] in a minute, but generally, the major surgery, who’s doing it right now? Not too many. There’s a lot of teams that want to play this out.” – Elliotte Friedman; 1/10/2025
Last season, Kolosov started two games in Lehigh Valley. He finished 1-1-0 in his first stint in the AHL with an 88.5%SV and a 3.03GAA. Those metrics represented a small sample size, and his development was only beginning.
Then, Kolosov did not show up for the majority of the offseason. Kolosov boarded a plane to appear at the 2024 Flyers Training Camp after three preseason games finalized a result.
Kolosov began this season with the Phantoms. His numbers dipped in four starts. In Lehigh Valley for his second stint, Kolosov went 1-2-1 with an 87.5%SV and a 3.29GAA. His most recent stint in the AHL didn’t do any favors. If at all, it proved Kolosov needed more development before NHL consideration.
Tortorella eventually provided Kolosov a start as a backup, who would return to the KHL if the NHL wasn’t an option. Fedotov didn’t earn a commanding vote of confidence to tandem with Ersson following three starts. He went 0-3-0 to begin the season with an 82.1%SV and a 5.26GAA. Kolosov, in his first start, dropped a 4-3 decision versus the Montréal Canadiens. Then, three games later, in a 3-0 loss to the Boston Bruins, Ersson exited with an injury.
Business picked up when Ersson went on injured reserve on November 17th, 2024.
With Ersson out due to a lower-body injury, Fedotov and Kolosov competed for a spot in the NHL. Before Ersson went on injured reserve, Fedotov was 3-3-0 with an 87.1%SV and a 3.71GAA. Kolosov, before Ersson went on injured reserve, was 0-3-0 with an 86.3%SV and a 3.89GAA.
While Ersson was on injured reserve, Fedotov was 1-1-1 with an 88.7%SV and a 3.3GAA. That includes the start versus the Panthers when Tortorella benched Fedotov after the first period before Brad Shaw answered in the postgame press conference.
During the recovery period for Ersson, Kolosov was 3-2-1 with an 89%SV and a 3GAA.
When Ersson returned to the lineup, Kolosov edged Fedotov for the 2G role by the numbers. Fedotov battled the Carolina Hurricanes, the Vegas Golden Knights, and the New York Rangers. Kolosov did play more, but the Chicago Blackhawks, the Nashville Predators, and the St. Louis Blues don’t compare. Kolosov presented himself as a formidable backup over Fedotov by a small margin.
Once Kolosov replaced Fedotov versus Florida, Tortorella banished Fedotov for about a month. He didn’t see a start. Ersson returned versus the Utah Hockey Club. Kolosov regularly backed up Ersson through a combined shutout of the San Jose Sharks. However, the injury bug bit Ersson briefly, and Fedotov had a chance to prove Tortorella wrong about his placement in the depth chart.
Again, Kolosov dipped. Once Ersson returned, Kolosov was 1-3-0 with an 83.7%SV and a 4GAA in four starts. Comparably, Ersson was 4-4-0 with an 85.6%SV and a 3.41GAA. After Ersson received a day-to-day designation following the win against the Sharks, Fedotov needed solid performances to provide a chance to win.
Fedotov and Kolosov were back at it, battling for a position in Philadelphia. Kolosov allowed five goals against the Golden Knights. Then, Tortorella gave Fedotov a shot. He kept the Flyers in the game twice versus the Maple Leafs. Points are at a premium, and the last time Kolosov earned a decision resulting in a positive trend in the NHL Standings was on December 12th, 2024.
After a month of watching, Fedotov jumped into the lineup and earned a point versus an elite team like Toronto. He earned the trust back from Tortorella to back up Ersson.
On the season, Fedotov is marginally better than Kolosov. If Kolosov agrees to an AHL stint for further development, it could be best for the longevity of his NHL career. Additionally, Fedotov is not out of the woods yet, either.
But, if Kolosov refuses the AHL, he shoots himself in the foot.
For a stretch, he had better numbers than Fedotov. However, he isn’t an NHL backup. He has a lot of time to return to the Phantoms and develop.
Earlier this season, the ultimatum to return to the KHL held more weight. Now, it doesn’t.
If Kolosov is serious about his NHL future, he’ll engage with the Flyers in a potential return to Lehigh Valley. If not, as Friedman suggested, more teams are ready to let things play out. Ersson and Fedotov suggest an upgraded tandem, excluding Kolosov. If Kolosov wants to return to the KHL, Philadelphia will consider another route for goaltending or look down the pipeline in preparation for prospects like Carson Bjarnason and Egor Zavragin.
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