The drama between the Philadelphia Flyers and the top goalie contender continues

The Philadelphia Flyers are entering their third year under head coach John Tortorella. So far the impression is that the team is improving, going from 25 to 31 and then from 31 to 38 wins while Torts is on the bench.

One area where the Flyers still need a solution is the net. They have three goaltenders under contract who will play in the NHL this season, but who the workhorse is is unclear. It’s possible there isn’t one. This also includes 22-year-old puck-stopper Aleksei Kolosov, who was widely discussed and speculated about over the summer.

The Flyers’ top goalie prospect is expected to start the year in the AHL, and that will only exacerbate a problem that hasn’t been solved yet. After making his North American debut at the end of last season, Kolosov returned to training with the team he was signed to in the KHL and took an extended period of time to return to Philadelphia for training camp.

Things seemed to calm down when he returned to the Flyers’ preseason games. But then the problem came to the surface again when he was assigned to the AHL.

Anthony Di Marco of The Daily Faceoff provided an update on the situation. As one of the media representatives with the closest connection to the team, Di Marco shared some information from his conversations with unnamed people who knew about the drama.

“Based on conversations I have had with those close to the situation,” he writes. “Kolosov’s belief in himself to be NHL-ready is not entirely unfounded. I’m told it’s believed there are elements to Kolosov’s game that are still NHL-caliber today. But at just 22 years old, despite having only played two games in North America, the Flyers believe a (near) full season as Lehigh Valley’s starter is best for his development.

With the two teams still at a crossroads, there is an opportunity for the young goaltender to return to the KHL for more playing time. He remains a draft candidate for the Flyers until something like this happens, but one thing is clear: the drama between Kolosov and the Philadelphia organization is far from over.

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