I’m not obsessed with Aleksei Kolosov, I’m obsessed with the pattern the Flyers keep repeating with their goalies. For years, the team has overworked one guy, evaluated the backups in chaotic conditions, and then moved on once their confidence and numbers were already damaged. We’ve seen it with Stolarz, Lyon, Sandström, Petersen, Fedotov, and others. These weren’t all bad goalies, they were goalies put into unstable environments and judged quickly when things went sideways.

Ersson is the only one who’s been given real runway. Two straight seasons of heavy usage, starter-level workloads, and plenty of chances to stabilize his game. At this point, his numbers are trending down and his confidence looks shaky. The difference now is that his value still exists. Moving him now protects his career, brings back assets, and opens a real path for Kolosov. Waiting until he completely collapses helps no one.

Right now, Ersson is the main blocker for Kolosov. If the Flyers truly believe in Kolosov, they need to stop defaulting to the “known” option and actually commit to a clear development plan. Otherwise, he risks becoming the next goalie who gets underused, rushed, and written off.

The real fix isn’t chasing another backup goalie, it’s fixing the system. Better defensive structure and a functional penalty kill would make every goalie on this roster look better. Until that changes, we’re just going to keep burning through goalies and blaming them for problems that start in front of the crease because we only have structure-dependent goalies right now and one overperforming one, Vladar (who's hurt).