The whole kerfuffle that has been caused by Alexei Kolosov’s unwillingness to follow the typical developmental path that nearly every other goaltender who has made it to the NHL has taken may be nearing an end. The Philadelphia Flyers prospect has begun to attract trade interest from around the league after not showing up to his current team’s development or training camp this month. Now, he could be let go and dealt to another team that might be able to convince him he should play in the AHL to earn some real playing time in the big leagues.
Unpromising prospects aside, Kolosov has shown he has a level of talent that some teams desperately need in their goaltending development: At 22 years old, he’s already established himself as a starter in one of the best leagues in the world, the KHL, and has an NHL contract that would mean no complicated paperwork for a move overseas.
If he can convince a team that he won’t pull the same shenanigans he did with the Flyers, that team would certainly be willing to buy a promising goaltending prospect on the cheap, and that could make sense for some teams, but which ones, specifically?
First, they need to at least create a path for Kolosov to play NHL games this season, which is what he wants. With the 2024-25 season starting in less than a month, that will be extremely difficult with all 31 other teams in the mix. But it could work if the backup position is a little thin or one more injury away from needing help.
Second, there can’t be a top goaltender candidate already in the team. The Minnesota Wild have Jesper Wahlstedt, the Detroit Red Wings have Sebastian Cossa, the Buffalo Sabres have Devon Levy and the Calgary Flames have Dustin Wolf. You get the idea. For any team to acquire Kolosov, he would instantly become the best goaltender of his age. Of course, if a rookie goaltender who is five years younger than Kolosov were drafted, it might not have as much of an impact on the team’s decision.
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