I think it’s fair to assume that this could be one of the final reports regarding Ivan Fedotov for the next 2 years as the hulking goaltender was unveiled in front of the media alongside his CSKA Moscow bosses. He recently signed a 2-year contract with the army team despite having a contract with the Philadelphia Flyers in the NHL.
Despite the MOU (memorandum of understanding) having been squashed between the NHL and the KHL for a couple years now, there was always an unspoken rule about contracts between each league and respecting them for what they are. This was the first time in their history that something of this ilk has happened and the NHL is well aware of the situation and will be doing their due diligence what has happened but it seems like a moot point at this rate.
After spending a year within the armed forces and stationed in the Arctic, Fedotov was cleared to return a few weeks ago but there were rumours and rumblings that he would remain in Russia and play for CSKA Moscow. Many people took this news as Fedotov spurning the Flyers and not wanting to play in Philadelphia but if history is any guide, let’s not forget that he signed his ELC in the anticipation of flying over ahead of training camp in the summer of 2022. Even though he’s technically free from military service, I can’t imagine he really has a choice on the matter if they were willing to detain him in the first place.
It’s a tricky matter and it surrounds the geopolitical landscape of feuding nations and a war and unfortunately sports has been dragged into the middle of this with the KHL now being a dark cloud over several prospects. The Flyers did their due diligence in drafting 2 goaltenders in this year’s draft adding them to the pipeline that already includes Samuel Ersson, Felix Sandstrom, and Alexei Kolosov, not to mention Carter Hart and Cal Petersen.
With the contract being agreed to, Fedotov finally made his first appearance in front of the media and answered several questions that ranged from his time in the military to “coming back” to the KHL.
Hockey News Hub has been on top of this story ever since it broke out and they have been a rather reliable source for all news regarding Ivan Fedotov, below is a translated version of his press conference:
Why did you decide to stay in CSKA? What were you guided by?
“A year was missed, the level of hockey in the army, as you know, is not very high. I tried to keep my shape. Now the decision has been made – I want to return to the podium as soon as possible and in the form in which I was. As far as we know, CSKA owns my rights, besides, it is the most titled club with the biggest ambitions. The decision to return to CSKA was made in order to start winning again, feel the adrenaline and zest for life.”
What did you feel over the past year in the army? Did you ever think that it would negatively affect your career?
“What can a person experience who played hockey, and then ended up on the parade ground, marching? Never mind. You count day by day, as is customary in the army, cross out the days on the calendar, just wait. No emotion. You hope that when this is over, you will come out of the situation with your head held high.”
How did you manage to keep in shape?
“In the harsh army realities. I pulled Soviet-era dumbbells, the barbells are the same. There was a good hall with history, with the spirit of the Soviet Union. More than imbued. The army loves hockey now, especially the navy. I rode, trained, found opportunities in hazing time. But there were no extraordinary trainings.”
How long have you been able to play hockey?
“As part of the service, time was allocated – two 100% ice a week, where there were officers, and urgent guys, and cadets. There used to be three. The rest was compensated by the hall. Combined whenever possible. Now a couple of days for acclimatization – and let’s get started. Today I had an in-depth medical examination.”
Service in the army influenced your career development plan for the next five years?
“The philosophy of a great athlete should not change. He must set himself the biggest goals and objectives. Stumbled, not stumbled – it doesn’t matter. You just adapt and that’s it.”
Head coach, Sergei Fedorov shared his thoughts:
What are your emotions after Ivan’s return to CSKA?
“As the head coach of CSKA, I am glad that he joined us and will play for our team. It is clear that he spent the year actively, although he did not play at a high level. Our task is to create comfortable conditions for his return. I think he will quickly remember everything. In my understanding, in December we will see Ivan Fedotov, playing well at the gates of CSKA and the Russian team.”
Why is CSKA coming out of vacation late?
“Why is it late? Only two weeks difference. Last year our training camp started on July 15, now it’s two weeks later. Given our schedule and the last season we finished on April 30th, it makes sense. It’s OK. We are again waiting for a long season and an exciting playoffs. I read an interview with the Metallurg coach, in which he said that he assembled the team too early before last season. In addition to physics, there is psychology, this experience was also taken into account. The guys are bored, this is a good sign. From the first of August we can start fruitfully preparing for the season.”
More of Fedorov on Fedotov’s return to CSKA:
There is also an alternative thread to his press conference courtesy of Hockey News Hub, which goes into a little more detail on some his responses to questions relating to his decision on staying in the KHL, if he sees himself going to the NHL, and if he’s spoken with the Flyers in particular:
When the news initially filtered out that Fedotov would be stationed in the Arctic, the Russians made sure to note and point out that the goaltender will have plenty of ice-time ahead of him and will practice and play for the Army team. He would be game-ready once his service came to an end and there were no further comments made after that. By some of his answers it seems that that didn’t necessarily take place and he will need some time to get back into game shape.
Whichever way you look at this story, Fedotov will be in Russia for at least 2 more seasons and will be up for a new contract ahead of the 2025-26 season. He’ll be 28 years-old by then, still relatively young for a goaltender, and the Flyers should still be able to hold onto his rights in the off-chance they see fit that they would require his services at the NHL-level.
The rebuild will be perhaps nearing its end, and who knows what the team will look like in 2025-26, but it’ll be an interesting wrinkle if they’d be able to bring the 6’8″ goaltender over to North America once and for all. Until then, we shouldn’t hold much optimism as we shift our focus towards the Kolosovs and the Erssons of the world.
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