Flyers rookie goaltender to make NHL debut vs. Canadiens

The Philadelphia Flyers announced that rookie goaltender Aleksei Kolosov will make his NHL debut Sunday night against the Montreal Canadiens.

After appearing in four games for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, the Flyers have decided to give Kolosov his first start in the big leagues.  It was a drama-filled summer for both the Flyers and Kolosov. Ultimately, Kolosov reported to Philadelphia towards the end of training camp and appeared in a few preseason games. He would eventually be loaned to the AHL as the Flyers wanted him to get some bigger playing time and get into the swing of things before playing a real NHL game.

Plenty of rumors would circle that Kolosov wanted to be an NHL goaltender and that there was an agreement in place that he would play games for the Flyers at some point. There was a possibility that he could be loaned back to the KHL for a year but the Flyers were not in favor of that option.

Kolosov has played four games for the Phantoms and his numbers aren't the most inspiring. In those four games, he has a record of 1-2, 3.29 goals-against average, and a .875 save percentage.

These numbers are tremendously better than the Flyers' current backup goaltender Ivan Fedotov. Through three games played, Fedotov has a record of 0-3, a 5.35 goals-against average, and a .821 save percentage. He has allowed four or more goals in each of the three games.

The Flyers don't want to wait around to see if Fedotov turns his game around. He did, however, sign a two-year, $6.5M contract with the Flyers in April of 2024. Therefore, the Flyers giving Kolosov a look in the big leagues is something they would need to do at some point anyway.

Is it ideal for Kolosov to be making his debut during the second half of a back-to-back? No. Could the Flyers have waited to start him in net until they hit the road on Tuesday? Probably.

This move by the Flyers shows that they clearly aren't happy with the way Fedotov has been playing. While the season is still young and it's too early to pull the plug on him, the Kolosov situation is more crucial at this moment.

Should Kolosov play well with the Flyers, they will have a big decision to make regarding who the backup goaltender will be. How will he perform? Only time will tell.