Philadelphia Flyers
Flyers Place Forward on IR, Recall Goalie in Wake of Dan Vladar Injury
Per the AHL transaction page, the Philadelphia Flyers have recalled goaltender Aleksei Kolosov from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. This comes following the injury to No. 1 netminder Dan Vladar, who exited Wednesday’s game vs. the Buffalo Sabres with an injury.
Kolosov has been playing well down in the AHL, going 9-9-1 in 19 games, posting a 2.54 GAA and a .908 SV%.
The Belarusian netminder has appeared in two games for the Flyers this season, coming in late during the November 1st blowout loss to the Maple Leafs, in which he did not allow a goal on 7 shots. He got the start and the loss against the Calgary Flames the next day, allowing 2 goals on 21 shots. He has a 1.62 GAA and a .929 SV% in his 2 NHL games this season.
In his NHL career, Kolosov has posted a 3.44 GAA and a .871 SV% in 19 games, recording 5 wins.
After a not-so-great rookie campaign, Kolosov has been settling down in Lehigh, showing that he still has the promise of a potential NHL goalie down the line. He and Carson Bjarnason have been a very good tandem for the Phantoms this season.
With his development finally taking off, I don’t expect Kolosov to be a long-term option for the Flyers in goal this season.
If Vladar’s injury is more serious than expected, I’d look for the Flyers to find help elsewhere, rather than internally.
That said, it is unclear if Kolosov has been recalled on an emergency recall basis or if Vladar, or even Bobby Brink, is hitting IR. We will know more soon.
Update
The Flyers officially announced their recall of Aleksei Kolosov. To make room for the goalie, the team has placed forward Bobby Brink on IR retroactive to January 6th.
Since Brink has not played since his injury, he remained eligible to be placed on IR. Since it was retroactive over a week ago, Brink could be activated as soon as Friday.
Read More: Dan Vladar Exits Flyers Game vs. Sabres With Injury
If Kolosov plays well up here, I would think you gotta go with him over Ersson the rest of the way after Vladar returns.
Have zero confidence in Kolosov. He’s putting up a .500 percentage at 9-9-1 with LV. Combined with the thought process that he would rather go back to the KHL instead of playing in the AHL, I don’t think he should be in the long term with the team as a goalie. Alex Lyon from the Sabres for a third round pick looked doable, but hopefully the Vladar injury is short term so the Sabres don’t have DB over a barrel for a possible trade.
Going to be looking at some possible trade options pretty soon! But, for what it’s worth, LHV has been pretty banged up. I’m less concerned about record. His GAA and SV% has taken a good step. Like what’s going on in the A for him and Bjarnason.