With only weeks to go until the start of the 2024 NHL preseason, the goalies remain the biggest question marks for the enigmatic Philadelphia Flyers.

That’s not for a lack of effort, however. It is a rebuild, after all, and with the way the contracts have fallen, it has been a foregone conclusion all offseason that Sam Ersson and Ivan Fedotov will be the Flyers’ two NHL goalies in 2024-25.

This is also not a question of talent. We already know that Ersson is an NHL goalie, but is he an NHL starter who can handle the workload associated with that responsibility?

Similarly, is Fedotov an NHL goalie who can replicate the success he had in the KHL and internationally after an extremely challenging and mentally taxing two years?

These are questions the Flyers are guaranteed to find the answers to in due time. But, is there a way the Flyers can cover their bases in the meantime and kill two birds with one stone?

With a little creativity and, perhaps, luck, there very well could be.

Where Alexei Kolosov factors in

Assuming that the contract of Ryan Johansen is terminated and Ryan Ellis is placed on injured reserve at the start of the season, the Flyers will have one extra roster space to include one extra forward, defenseman, or, potentially, a goalie.

Veterans Nicolas Deslauriers and Erik Johnson will reprise their roles as the 13th forward and seventh defenseman, respectively, so the Flyers have capable cover in both areas.

So, why not add a goalie?

At this point, we are all well aware of the rumors that top goalie prospect Alexei Kolosov may or may not return to North America for the start of training camp; no guarantees have been made one way or the other.

We also know that Kolosov, a native of Belarus, struggled with the language barrier whilst playing in the AHL for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, something that would easily be mitigated if he were to play with the Flyers.

Fedotov and Matvei Michkov both made the jump from the KHL to the NHL in the last five months, while defenseman Egor Zamula, who has played in North America since 2017, returns for his second full NHL season.

Between those three and skating coach Slava Kuznetsov, Kolosov would have a true Russian-speaking support group to lean on as he tries to kickstart his career in the Flyers organization.

Furthermore, by bringing Kolosov to the NHL, head coach John Tortorella and the Flyers can ride whoever emerges hot hand in goal without having to worry about burning out the unproven tandem of Ersson and Fedotov.

For those worried about potential injuries, Kolosov is waivers-exempt, so he can be assigned to the AHL at any time while the Flyers let him hang around and bring up the necessary injury replacement(s).

Between Cal Petersen, Parker Gahagen, and Keith Petruzzelli, the Phantoms will have plenty of capable goalies in 2024-25.

By putting Kolosov in what is likely to be a more comfortable situation, the Flyers can see which of Kolosov, Ersson, and Fedotov—all of whom have two years remaining on their contracts—emerges as the top dog in Philadelphia for the long haul.