The Philadelphia Flyers are going to be forced to find some goalie reinforcements this offseason, and one underrated option is former Colorado Avalanche goalie Ivan Prosvetov.
Prosvetov, 26, will terminate his contract with KHL outfit CSKA Moskva, according to multiple reports, including from Hockey News Hub, with the intent of resuming his NHL career this upcoming season.
Prosvetov, who last played in the NHL for the Colorado Avalanche in the 2023-24 season, was signed by CSKA to replace the departed Ivan Fedotov, who just completed his first full NHL season with the Flyers. That marriage did not last very long at all as CSKA continues to fall from its former glory in the KHL.
So, what makes the former fourth-round pick an attractive sleeper option for the Flyers?
In parts of five seasons at the NHL level, Prosvetov managed only an 8-9-2 record in 24 appearances to go along with a bog-standard 3.70 GAA and .881 save percentage.
At the same time, though, he played for the Arizona Coyotes and the Avalanche - two teams that have changed goalies like underwear for the majority of the last decade.
Prosvetov alluded to such roster turnover and difficulties with the Avalanche's goalie coach, in particular, in a Dec. 2024 interview with Pavel Lysenkov of MatchTV.
"Honestly, in Colorado, I played the same system as now. There were good matches for the Avalanche, but there the coach did not understand me. It’s as if we talked to him in different languages," Prosvetov told Lysenkov. "All the goalkeepers were removed. For a year now, no goalkeeper can play. Who appeared there after Semyon Varlamov? No one was late there for a long time."
The Avalanche started the 2024-25 season with a tandem of Alexandar Georgiev and Justus Annunen, but both goalkeepers were quickly jettisoned for Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood as Colorado's front office scrambled to find reliable options to buoy their Stanley Cup hopes.
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However, the Avalanche previously won the Stanley Cup with Darcy Kuemper, who left the organization as quickly as he arrived.
"They won the Stanley Cup with Darcy Kuemper at the gate, but he also went off-season to Washington. Quickly with him in Colorado said goodbye," Prosvetov noted. "And I don’t think that because of the money they broke up with the goalkeeper, who led the club to the first champion title in 20 years."
As for Georgiev? And for himself?
"Georgiev was good when he was given 10 shots per match, and when they did it 40 times. That is, he is very strong in the head. His mentality is strong. He's a very confident person. But as I know, the coaches in Colorado did not help him at all. So, the goalkeeper coach definitely did nothing.
"Well, if the coach never played hockey how [can you understand]? A complete theorist, and in theory he has gaps (...) But in the end I sat for 10 matches in reserve. And then I was thrown in against Florida, changed after three goals although the score was 3-3. Can you imagine? Why wasn't Sergei Bobrovsky pulled on the other side? Why have I been replaced?
"And that was my last NHL match. I do not know who made that decision. And there, head coach Jared Bednar, too, as I understand it, affects goalies. Decides who to play in which match, and thinks that he understands this topic."
And that is how Prosvetov arrived back home in Russia, playing one (his first) KHL season. In 38 games, the 6-foot-5 goalie posted a 20-16-2 record, a 2.32 GAA, a .920 save percentage, and four shutouts. In five playoff games, Prosvetov was 2-3-0 with a 2.90 GAA and .918 save percentage as CSKA was thrashed 13-2 across their final two games.
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The Flyers, like the Avalanche, have struggled to find a consistent goalie. It's unclear if or when Aleksei Kolosov returns, and Sam Ersson and Fedotov have proven unreliable.
Flyers goalie coach Kim Dillabaugh is now squarely in the sights of fans now that disliked power play coach Rocky Thompson has been relieved of his duties, which could also be a challenge for Prosvetov, given Dillabaugh's inability to regularly coax strong performances out of Fedotov and Kolosov.
But, even if the Flyers decide Prosvetov is not suitable for a role at the NHL level, the Russian would still be an upgrade for the AHL squad.
In parts of five seasons in the AHL, Prosvetov was 65-61-13 with a 3.16 GAA, a .898 save percentage, and six shutouts. During his brief stint with the AHL Colorado Eagles in 2023-24, Prosvetov was 11-7-2 with a 2.33 GAA, a .921 save percentage, and two shutouts.
The only Lehigh Valley Phantoms goalie to post a save percentage higher than .899 this season was Army veteran Parker Gahagen (.916), who isn't even signed to an NHL contract. Eetu Makiniemi was limited to five games with a hernia, and Cal Petersen and Kolosov are likely gone this summer.
That leaves Gahagen and 19-year-old goalie prospect Carson Bjarnason to hold down the fort. If something happens to Ersson or Fedotov or if they struggle, you'd probably want to have a better Plan C if you're the Flyers.
Prosvetov is more than likely not going to cost a lot financially and is willing to stick it out in the AHL for an NHL role if necessary. It's now a question of if the Flyers feel they have better options on the table with the same roster flexibility.
