Report: Flyers plan to call up Aleksei Kolosov and Emil Andrae from the Phantoms.
Following Philadelphia’s thrilling 7-5 victory over Minnesota on Saturday, the spotlight was mainly on Sean Couturier’s hat trick and five-point performance. However, there were also reports indicating that the Flyers were set to call up two players from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, either on Saturday night or Sunday. The players being considered are defenseman Emil Andrae and goaltender Aleksei Kolosov.
Andrae is the easier case to discuss. The defenseman, who has been called up to the Flyers before but didn’t get any playing time, is a sensible option to replace Cam York, who missed his first game against Minnesota and is expected to be sidelined for at least two weeks. Erik Johnson had a subpar performance on Saturday and could struggle more in the second game of a back-to-back within 36 hours. Bringing Andrae in to take Johnson’s place and give him an opportunity with the main team would make sense if he plays Sunday evening in Montreal.
The other potential call-up may raise some eyebrows. Speculation increased after NHL analyst Kevin Weekes tweeted the following:
The tweet questioned whether it was time for the Flyers to give Kolosov a shot, given Ivan Fedotov’s less-than-stellar performances. In three games this season, Fedotov has posted an .821 save percentage and a goals-against average of 5.35. The only bright spot in Fedotov’s game came during the third period of Wednesday’s matchup against Washington, where he made some impressive saves to keep the Flyers competitive. While he hasn’t been stopping many shots, with fewer than 280 minutes of NHL experience, calling for a change might be a bit hasty. However, with Jett Luchanko sent to Guelph, there’s now an open roster spot that Kolosov seems poised to fill for the time being.
It’s also worth noting that Cal Petersen started Saturday night’s game for the Phantoms, which adds to the speculation about Kolosov’s potential call-up. Kolosov has played four games with the Phantoms in the AHL, recording an .875 save percentage and a 3.29 goals-against average. This follows a summer filled with uncertainty about whether he would move to North America or remain in his home country. Last season’s time with the Phantoms didn’t go as smoothly as either Kolosov or the Flyers had hoped.
If Kolosov is called up, the Flyers would suddenly have three goaltenders on the roster, which could lead to a bit of a logistical challenge. It’s unlikely that Ersson will end up in Lehigh Valley, so if he’s healthy, he’s expected to be part of the goaltending duo. Should Kolosov get some playing time with the Flyers, it could spark competition with Fedotov, provide the team with quality starts from backups, and potentially lead to more wins or at least some valuable loser points.
