Philadelphia Flyers fans outside the Wells Fargo Center before home game against the San Jose Sharks.
Philadelphia Flyers fans outside the Wells Fargo Center before home game against the San Jose Sharks.
Russian goaltending prospect Alexei Kolosov could be headed to the Philadelphia Flyers within the next few weeks.
Drafted 78th overall in 2021, the 22-year-old spent the 2023-24 season with Dinamo Minsk, where, across his 47 games played this season, Kolosov recorded a 2.39 GAA and a .907 SV%.
Minsk's season came to an end after getting eliminated in the KHL playoffs by Dynamo Moscow. Having already signed his entry-level contract with the Flyers, Kolosov is technically free to join whenever he wants to.
Of course, however, there are nuances.
The KHL season doesn't end until April 30, and even though Dinamo Minsk are no longer active this season, they would have to terminate Kolosov's contract in order to make him available to the Flyers.
There's also the ongoing issue of political tensions affecting relations between Russia and the rest of the international community. Russian national hockey teams are currently banned from participating in international competitions, while the Russian Hockey Federation has also considered mandating that players complete a minimum number of years in the KHL before pursuing careers in other leagues.
However, executives for both Dinamo Minsk and the Flyers have made statements in recent weeks that have given Flyers fans plenty of reason to be excited about the seemingly impending arrival of Kolosov.
"As part of the agreement with Philadelphia, of course he can go to America until the end of the season," Dinamo Minsk general director Artem Karkotsky said of Kolosov. "We will be in touch with Philadelphia regarding his future."
Flyers director of hockey operations Keith Jones said on the Snow The Goalie podcast, "There is a chance with Kolosov, for sure. I think there is some visa stuff that has to be clarified, but that's the plan. Hopefully, in the next couple of weeks, he will arrive."
The young goalie could not be coming at a more opportune time, given the Flyers' notoriously messy goaltending situation this season. While Sam Ersson has been able to step up as the No. 1 netminder following Carter Hart's leave of absence and ongoing legal drama, the Flyers have struggled to find Ersson a reliable No. 2. Cal Petersen couldn't get the job done, and Felix Sandstrom hasn't been given many looks since being called up.
Kolosov has an opportunity to continue his KHL success within the Flyers organization, and it's very possible that he could get some looks at the top level sooner rather than later.
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