The Philadelphia Flyers have recalled goalie Aleksei Kolosov from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The team made it official Saturday prior to the Flyers’ game hosting the Los Angeles Kings.
Transaction: We have recalled goaltender Aleksei Kolosov from the @LVPhantoms (AHL). Additionally, forward Lane Pederson has been loaned to Lehigh Valley. pic.twitter.com/5BykFTvnQ8
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) January 31, 2026
Kolosov will be the backup today to Dan Vladar who is starting. Kolosov will be replacing Sam Ersson, who was injured in Thursday’s game against Boston. Vladar played the third period in the 6-3 loss to the Bruins after Ersson left after 40 minutes. There’s no word as to how long Ersson will be out but it’s possible Kolosov will remain with the club for the final three games Philadelphia plays prior to the Olympic break.
Kolosov hasn’t had a great year in his brief time with Philadelphia. His best game was against Calgary on Nov. 2 where he stopped 19 of 21 shots in a tight 2-1 loss to the Flames. In two games in January, prior to the Flyers rather successful road trip last week, gave up three goals on 16 shots against Pittsburgh in just under 38 minutes in a 6-3 loss. Sam Ersson wasn’t much better in 22 minutes, allowing three goals in just 11 shots. The Belarussian’s last start was quite noteworthy for all the wrong reasons. In just 8:25 of action in the first period, Kolosov allowed three goals on the first three shots he faced before getting the hook. Overall, he’s 0-2-0 with a goals-against average of 4.00 and a horrid save percentage of .830. When Sam Ersson is the better option, it doesn’t say a whole lot for Kolosov. Meanwhile, Kolosov is 9-10-1 with a decent 2.52 goals-against average in Lehigh Valley and a .908 save percentage.
The move shouldn’t be a huge factor this week provided Dan Vladar remains healthy. The Flyers have two more contests after the Los Angeles tilt. Philadelphia plays host to Washington on Tuesday before the Senators visit on Feb. 5. As well, considering how far back the Flyers are in the playoff hunt (as well as how many teams they have to jump over), Vladar is clearly the best option if Philadelphia hopes to earn six points between now and the Olympic break.
Additionally, and as reported Friday night, the Flyers returned center Lane Pederson to Lehigh Valley. The move is almost guaranteed to give Trevor Zegras a decent stretch of games between now and season’s end to see what he’s capable of down the middle. Zegras was originally acquired with the hopes of playing center, but became primarily a “hybrid center” with Christian Dvorak. Being on a line between wingers Matvei Michkov and Bobby Brink should be a showcase to see what he can (or can’t) do.
