Flyers return goalie Aleksei Kolosov and defenseman Emil Andrae to the fold

Maybe The Grateful Dead said it best, What a Long Strange Trip It’s Been.

For goaltender Aleksei Kolosov, his trip to the NHL is heading straight down the Blue Route and into the Wells Fargo Center.

The Flyers have recalled Kolosov and defenseman Emil Andrae from Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League. The roster space became available after center Jett Luchanko was returned to juniors and defenseman Cam York was placed on injured reserve.

» READ MORE: Flyers send 2024 first-rounder Jett Luchanko back to junior after four NHL games

York is expected to miss a minimum of two weeks with an upper-body injury. This is Andrae’s second recall this season. He joined the team in Calgary after Nick Seeler was placed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury but did not suit up.

As for Kolosov, 22, he could make his NHL debut on Sunday against the Montreal Canadiens (7 p.m., NBCSP) in place of Ivan Fedotov as the Flyers complete a back-to-back set of games this weekend. Fedotov, 27, has struggled, allowing a combined 14 goals on 78 shots in his three starts this season.

Compared to the 6-foot-7 Fedotov and the 6-3 Sam Ersson, who earned the win on Saturday night against the Minnesota Wild, the generously listed 6-1 Kolosov does look smaller in the net. While Fedotov is long and rangy and aggressive at playing the puck and Ersson is more of a tactician, Kolosov relies on his footwork and agility to keep the puck out.

And he comes with some drama.

Kolosov’s first appearance in orange and black in a regular season is just another layer to his ongoing saga — albeit one that comes sooner than anyone thought.

The Belarusian goalie was drafted in the third round of the 2021 NHL draft and signed an entry-level contract in 2023. He was loaned last season to his hometown team, Dinamo Minsk, in the Kontinental Hockey League. After their season ended, in which he wrapped up his KHL career with a 49-56-10 record, 2.56 goals-against average, and .909 save percentage in 120 games, Kolosov joined the Phantoms. He appeared in two regular-season games for Lehigh Valley, posting a 3.03 goals-against average and .855 save percentage.

» READ MORE: Sean Couturier’s hat trick helps Flyers beat Minnesota, earn first home win of the season

Kolosov did not play any playoff games and following the end of the Phantoms’ postseason in May, rumors started circulating he was homesick and wanted to return to the KHL. Flyers general manager Danny Brière told The Inquirer at the NHL scouting combine in early June that Kolosov said there was “an adjustment at the end of the year” and that “it was tough coming over by himself.” Rumors also said Kolosov felt isolated as he did not speak English and was living in the hotel attached to the rink.

Those rumors picked up when he did not attend the Flyers development camp, although Brière said on July 1 that it was because of “logistics.” But then Kolosov also did not attend rookie camp at the start of September and the day before training camp began, Brière announced the goalie would not be reporting.

“All we know is he’s under contract with us,” Brière said Sept. 17 from the Flyers Training Center in Voorhees. “And, you know, the way we see it, if he wants to play hockey, he has to respect his contract for us. Yeah, we have no interest in loaning him back. We want him to develop here.”

Nine days later, rumors started swirling in the early hours that Kolosov was making a beeline to Philadelphia. This came less than 24 hours after the Flyers signed goaltender Eetu Mäkiniemi, who is now with the Phantoms, to a one-year, two-way contract.

“Alexei is enthusiastic about joining the Flyers for the upcoming training camp,” Kolosov’s agent, Daniel Milstein of Gold Star Sports Management, told The Inquirer via text. “All previous concerns have been thoroughly addressed and are now resolved.”

The next day, Sept. 27, he was on the ice in Voorhees. In two preseason games — a combined 57 minutes, 59 seconds — he posted a 4.14 GAA and .810 save percentage. This season with the Phantoms, he is 1-2-1 with a 3.29 GAA and .875 save percentage.

“I am very honored to be part of the Flyers organization and am happy to be here at training camp,” Kolosov said through a team spokesperson before making his preseason debut on Sept. 30. “I look forward to the opportunity to play alongside my teammates and help the team win.”

Now he has a chance to do just that.