Philadelphia Flyers General Manager, Daniel Brière, won’t let Ivan Fedotov out of his clutches without a fight as the KHL attempts to put a stranglehold on the young Russian netminder.
The saga is a long and winding road that began with Fedotov signing his one-year ELC with the Flyers before being detained and forced to a serve a year in the military. With the year of service having been completed, the KHL played it off like it was a foregone conclusion that Fedotov would remain in Russia and join CSKA Moscow when he was good and ready.
There were reports that he was going to sign a 2-year deal with the Army club, and it was refuted at first but then reported yet again, before it was made official. CSKA Moscow unveiled him to the media and answered a bevy of questions that included his time in the military and the Flyers situation as a whole.
The Flyers had his 2022-23 contract year pushed to 2023-24 thanks to the CBA, but it was revealed over the weekend that they had submitted to the IIHF – with the help from the NHL – that his contract be tolled since he missed the year due to military service, reported by TSN’s Darren Dreger.
In other words, the IIHF will be looking over both contracts – KHL and NHL – and will be determining the result. If they rule in favour of the NHL, then Fedotov will be making his way to Philadelphia after all but if they rule in favour of the KHL, then he will remain with CSKA Moscow for the entirety of his 2-year contract.
However, Hockey News Hub had tweeted that out on the 19th of July, which means the ruling should be announced very soon.
Although the NHL and the KHL’s Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) ended in 2022, there was still a mutual understanding and respect for contracts signed by either league. For whatever reason, the KHL decided to go out of their way to break the silent agreement and put their stamp on Fedotov as the first case of it’s kind between both leagues.
They stipulated and were of the mind that because Fedotov’s one-year ELC was to end this summer, there was no team or organization that had any rights to the goaltender and he was free to sign wherever he pleased – which seemingly became CSKA Moscow. For those who believe that Fedotov spurned the Flyers and was against the idea of playing in Philadelphia, use his last 12 months as a guide to his mental psyche into why “he” signed a 2-year deal with the army club.
The day after Fedotov reportedly signed his 2-year contract, the Flyers signed fellow KHL goaltender and Belarus native Alexei Kolosov to a 3-year ELC. They also drafted Carson Bjarnason and Egor Zavragin in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft and already employ Carter Hart, Cal Patersen, Felix Sandström, and Samuel Ersson.
When asked if he practiced or played hockey during his service in the military, Fedotov said that he played twice a week but the quality of hockey was subpar. He is over a year removed from professional hockey and has not yet begun practicing or training. He is set to join CSKA Moscow shortly as he looks to be ready ahead of their 2023-24 season – as things stand right now contractually.
Fedotov is itching to get back to professional hockey and it’s no hide off his back wherever that may be but he will abide by the IIHF ruling. If they rule in favour of the KHL, then Fedotov said he would play out his contract and look to fulfill his dream of playing in the NHL in 2025-2026. If they rule in favour of the Flyers, then he will make the leap to North America and could feature either with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms or the Reading Royals to get his feet wet and confidence back on track.
The 6’8” goaltender had an amazing season in 2021-22 to back up the ELC that the Flyers had offered. He helped Russia to a silver medal at the Olympic Games, he backstopped his club to the Gagarin Cup in the KHL, and put up a combined 30-16-2 record – regular season and playoffs – including a .937 SV% and a 1.85 GAA in the postseason.
While having not played a single game since 2021-22, he will have to work his way up to the NHL level if it got to that point. However, with Petersen not being a part of the future, Sandström struggling to make headway, and Hart’s future in limbo, it would allow Fedotov the time to grow and potentially make a leap in the depth chart.
All of this now lies in the hands of the IIHF, who will make the final ruling and determine the future of Ivan Fedotov, the Philadelphia Flyers, and CSKA Moscow.
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