If you missed Saturday's game against the Bruins, you woke up (or went to bed) with some disturbing news. You saw that that Sam Ersson has suffered a lower-body injury and will be evaluated later. The loss sucks, but the loss of Ersson is evern more disturbing. We'll see if this is a "minor injury", a short term injury (1-5 games), or a major one (missing lots of time).
Elliotte Friedman reported on Saturday night that the Flyers are looking at about a week without their top goaltender. If Ersson is to miss an extended period of time, though, who are the options? Let's look at internal candidates first.
Aleksei Kolosov
Kolosov wanted to be here. He did not want to play in the AHL and refused to remain here in America unless he was going to be in Philadelphia and threatened to return to the KHL. This is Kolosov's time to shine. It is up to him to prove that he belongs here.
In two games, he has an .870 save percentage and a GAA of 3.29. It's similar to stats he put up last year in the AHL as well. However, playing in the KHL, a league widely considered to be the second best in the world, he had a very respectable 2.56 GAA with a save percentage of .909. Those are wonderful numbers and if he can post up those sort of stats, the Flyers are in for a treat.
Kolosov is also 22 years old. That's still pretty young and has a lot of room to grow. He struggled against Montreal, one of the worst teams in the leagues. However, was that due to Kolosov or the team flopping in front of him and "playing down to their competition". In an emergency relief of Ersson, he let in just two goals against a mighty Bruins team. Kolosov is probably he best internal option the Flyers have and should be the horse this team rides for a while.
Ivan Fedotov
It took a lot for Ivan Fedotov to come play for the Flyers. He came in with some of the best numbers for a goalie coming out of the KHL. His save percentage was .921 and his GAA was 2.22. He has been a finalist for the KHL's version of the Vezina Trophy. Dude can play.
However, he has yet to translate those skills over to North America. In six games, with five career starts, he has failed to win a game. The most he had was one game that was an overtime loss. His GAA is a blistering 5.35 and his save percentage is a woeful .821 this season.
You could argue that these games were played without a healthy Nick Seeler in front. Perhaps part of his issue is that the Flyers weren't playing their best hockey in front. If Ersson is out for a while and Kolosov is given the starting job, Fedotov needs to step up and show what he can do. And if this is the best we're going to see from him, he may need to be demoted to the AHL to freshen up or be on the move.
Cal Petersen
Yikes. If the Flyers have to turn to him, they are in serious trouble. He's played in just two games for the Phantoms as Kolosov started four games in the AHL before being called up to play in Philly. He was victorious in just one of those two games. He presently has a GAA of 3.00 with a save percentage of .885.
Last year, Petersen couldn't cut it for the Flyers. He was even worse at the AHL level, though he did play well down the stretch for the Phantoms. If a 30 year goalie is struggling at both the major and minor league levels, you don't want to see him here in Philly. His contract is up at the end of the year and I wish him well.
External Options
If you are looking for a free agent....ummmmm....there are some slim pickings. The best option might be Martin Jones. He’s been here before and could fill in in the short term. The Flyers have about $1.6 million in salary cap space right now. If Ersson is going to miss significant time, Jones could be signed for under that if Kolosov and Fedotov fall through.