For the Philadelphia Flyers, one door has permanently closed at the goalie position, which makes for a big opportunity for one of their top goalie prospects. Just not the one you'd expect.

After finishing his second season of post-draft junior hockey, Flyers goalie prospect Carson Bjarnason will begin his pro career in Philadelphia's organization this fall. Assuming Bjarnason starts in the AHL with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, it's unclear who his goalie partner will be.

What is clear is that Bjarnason's goalie partner won't be Eetu Makiniemi, who was signed by the Flyers last summer to provide depth at the position within the organization.

Makiniemi, 26, played just five games for the Phantoms last season before suffering a season-ending sports hernia, posting a 3-0-2 record, a 3.03 GAA, and a .899 save percentage during his short stint in Allentown.

Having played just 26 total games in the last two seasons, Makiniemi's career in North America is presumably over for the foreseeable future; on Wednesday, the Finn signed a one-year deal with TPS of Finland's Liiga, opting to return home.

With Makiniemi and Cal Petersen, whose contract has also expired, the Flyers are in need of a definitive starting goalie at the AHL level, and that mantle should belong to none other than the enigmatic Aleksei Kolosov.

Yes, Kolosov should return to the Flyers

For once, the Flyers' goaltending situation actually looks surprisingly clear.

Incumbents Sam Ersson and Ivan Fedotov, both on expiring contracts, will hold down the fort in the NHL until one or both of them falters.

Bjarnason, still just 19 years old, probably won't be ready for a full AHL workload right away. That's where Kolosov comes in.

Flames Sniper Backs 'Excellent' Aleksei Kolosov to Stay with Flyers, Continue NHL Career Goalie prospect Aleksei Kolosov has all the talent and experience to stay with the Philadelphia Flyers and forge a successful NHL career for himself, but will he?

The 23-year-old Belarusian has long been connected to a return to his hometown Dinamo Minsk in the KHL, but instead of waiting for Kolosov, Minsk has instead re-signed Vasili Demchenko for two years in addition to making former NHLer Zach Fucale the highest-paid goalie in the KHL.

What sense would it make for them to then turn around and add Kolosov to the mix? There would be too many cooks in that kitchen for a 68-game regular season.

If he stays and fights for his place in North America, Kolosov could make himself much more money as long as he can earn and keep a spot in the NHL.

However, the Flyers' former third-round pick won't be able to do that without development in the AHL and actually proving he belongs.

Kolosov played just 29 total games last year between the Flyers and Phantoms, posting a 10-15-2 record with a cumulative save percentage no higher than .884 in either league.

Kolosov played no fewer than 45 games, between the regular season and the playoffs, for Minsk in the KHL in the previous two seasons. For a young guy not fully adapted to the North American style of play, he must play and learn as often as possible.

The opportunity to carve out a place for himself with the Flyers, even after the rocky start and all the drama surrounding it, is bigger than ever for Kolosov. Will he show the desire and the heart needed to take his chance? That remains to be seen and will be decided in the coming weeks and months.

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