While Samuel Ersson is sidelined with a lower-body injury, that means the Philadelphia Flyers could turn to Ivan Fedotov in the mean time to try and stabilize the ship.
Fedotov entered the 2024-25 season as the 1B to Ersson’s 1A but in the short time between their season opener and the end of October, he not only lost a hold of his position, but he found himself on the outside looking in as a healthy scratch.
With the Flyers needing to make a decision on Aleksei Kolosov by the end of October, they opted to call him up ahead of their matchup against the Montréal Canadiens for of his NHL debut. Rather than waiving Fedotov and potentially sending him to the minors, they kept three goaltenders, most likely because they didn’t want to risk losing the hulking Russian.
After Kolosov’s debut, Ersson started the next three games, which included a shutout performance against Boston and then another starring game against St. Louis last Thursday. He was given a third straight start on Saturday but left the game in the first period with a lower-body injury. Kolosov came in his stead but was saddled as the hard-luck loser as the Flyers were shut out 3-0.
Prior to their game last Thursday, head coach John Tortorella admitted that for the foreseeable future, Kolosov would remain as Ersson’s backup, essentially relegating Fedotov as a healthy scratch. Unfortunately for Fedotov to have returned, an injury was required, but the Flyers seem optimistic that Ersson shouldn’t be out long-term.
Fedotov’s season raised a lot of questions about his mechanics because he doesn’t look anywhere near like the goaltender that won a silver medal at the 2022 Winter Olympics as well as the KHL’s Gagarin Cup in the same year for CSKA Moscow.
Fedotov’s story is as incredible as any with what he had to deal with between 2022 and 2024. While his arrival couldn’t have come at a better time with Carter Hart out of the equation and Ersson needing help, the start to Fedotov’s NHL career has gone sideways and the offseason break between 2023-24 and 2024-25 hasn’t helped.
After helping CSKA Moscow to the Gagarin Cup and securing the silver medal at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Fedotov was expected to sign his entry-level contract with the Flyers in pursuit of an NHL career. The first part was easy but just before he was set to leave for the United States, his whole world flipped upside down.
Fedotov was arrested under the assumption that he was evading his military conscription. He was then forced into one year of service on a naval port in the Arctic, essentially putting a pause on his hockey career and potentially his future in the NHL. The Russians were relatively mum about the situation but when pressed about his future, they said he would get some practice and game time while in the Army and would be free upon his service.
The Flyers tolled his contract due to the unforeseen circumstances and when his year of service came to an end, there was hope he would be able to make his way to the NHL. Unfortunately CSKA Moscow had other plans and ensured he would stay in Russia and reassume starting duties.
Despite Fedotov’s contractual obligations to the Flyers, CSKA Moscow continued to play the goaltender. The IIHF stepped in and ruled the Flyers victorious over their contractual disagreement, however the Russians were persistent and kept playing him even though sanctions had been levied.
All hope seemed to have been lost until his contract was terminated near the end of March almost out of the clear blue sky. While Tortorella didn’t want to throw him to the wolves right away, he had no choice with Ersson struggling and the Flyers not having any other capable backups.
Fedotov ended the season with a .811 SV% and a 4.95 GAA. He showed flashes of brilliance when he relieved Ersson midway through a game against the New York Islanders but looked mechanically off in his following starts and appearances. He looked slower, awkward, and uncomfortable with the North American style of play but the hope was that he would acclimate to his surroundings by the time the 2024-25 season rolled around.
The same couldn’t be said in his following two starts, especially his second against the Seattle Kraken. He allowed several weak goals, emphasized by 3 goals in a span of 3 minutes near the end of the second period, which was enough to keep the Flyers’ comeback at bay.
Brandon Montour’s opening goal came from the point with minimal screening but the puck squeaked through his arm and rolled into the net. Jared McCann’s point shot was similar with no screen in front and Fedotov was cleanly beaten through his five-hole from distance.
Goals 3, 4, and 5 – while different in actuality – were similar in essence with the Russian netminder very slow to reacting to the plays in front of him. Bad rebound control, not able to move post-to-post quick enough, and beaten handily on odd-man rushes led to a quick outing as he was pulled before the third period commenced.
His performance against Washington was similar but he did battle harder after going down 4-0. He was beaten by point shots, screens where he was trying to fight through them instead of using his size to his advantage, and he was very susceptible through his five-hole. On odd-man rushes or breakaways, Fedotov was biting way too soon and cheating to try and guess what the shooter was about to do, rather than following the puck or the play.
When he is successful and playing well, he uses his size to his advantage, comes out to battle the shooter and has his corners covered. He can kick out the pads and can cover most of the net when he stands square to the shooters. For whatever reason though, his mechanics have failed him, he can’t see through screens, and the NHLers are usually shooting low to beat him.
Those were not evident weakness when he was playing in the KHL as evidenced by the video below. His reactions were quick, he covered most of the net with relative ease, he didn’t fight through screens, and if he ever was caught, he managed to get back into the play as he used his size to his advantage.
These highlights were from the 2020-21 season when he played for Chelyabinsk Traktor, posting a 14-7-3 record with a .925 SV% and a 2.21 GAA. He then moved to CSKA Moscow for the 2021-22 season when won the championship and silver medal as well as signing his one-year ELC with the Flyers.
After that is when things changed but even then his numbers were respectable with a .914 SV% and a 2.37 GAA with a 21-22-3 record after a full year away from hockey while enlisted in the army. He also had to deal with the tug-of-war battle between CSKA, the Flyers, and to a degree the IIHF as he was forced into the middle of the fiasco.
It’s understandable that it was a mental grind more than a physical one as he went through a whirlwind but with time to get back into the swing of things and a 2-year contract under his belt, it’s certainly a question to ponder as to what happened to his motor and mechanics?
Marination in the AHL with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms would be the perfect situation for Fedotov as he can learn the North American game on the fly, get as many reps as possible, and build back his confidence. He looks like he’s overthinking, overanalyzing, and trying too hard to make a routine stop because he’s behind the 8-ball from the onset of his starts.
It remains to be seen if Tortorella will turn to Fedotov with no back-to-back sets in sight until the 29th and 30th of November. However, it would be shocking if they gave Kolosov all three starts this week on the road against Carolina, Tampa Bay, and Florida. Kolosov started Tuesday in Raleigh and stopped 29 shots in a 6-4 loss. If Ersson remains on the sidelines, their schedule eases up a little bit with San Jose, Ottawa, and Buffalo.
Fedotov should at least see one game during their current road trip, but it’s going to be tough considering the three teams possess a combined 24-10-2 record and are currently sitting either at or near the top of their respective divisions.
If Fedotov wants to remain in the NHL and keep fighting to earn his reps, he will need to step up in the biggest way whenever called upon next. Kolosov played well in relief of Ersson on Saturday and made a few big saves but still took the loss on Tuesday.
After that however, it’s anyone’s guess as to how the coaching staff will distribute starts, potentially to the benefit of Fedotov.
