All the drama surrounding goaltender Ivan Fedotov’s quest to join (and stay with) the Flyers appears to be over.
On Tuesday the team announced it had signed the 27-year-old Russian to a two-year, $6.5-million contract ($3.25 million AAV).
Fedotov, 27, was selected way back in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft (seventh round, 188th overall) but it’s taken quite awhile for him to get to Philadelphia.
He spent seven seasons playing in the Kontinental Hockey League. During the 2021-22 KHL season he was named the league’s best goaltender, gained a berth on the KHL first all-star team and won the Gagarin Cup.
Internationally, Fedotov won a silver medal with the Russian Olympic Committee team during the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China.
Fedotov was hopeful of getting to Philadelphia sooner but had to fulfill some military service obligations.
He arrived in March and appeared in three games for the Flyers, including one start (April 1 vs. the Islanders). He went 0-1-1 with a 4.95 goals-against average and a .811 save percentage. He became the second Russian goaltender in franchise history to make his NHL debut with the Flyers, joining Sergei Bobrovsky, who started against Pittsburgh on Oct. 7, 2010.
At 6-foot-7, Fedotov has become one of the tallest goaltenders in NHL history.
He signed a one-year, entry-level contract with the Flyers on May 7, 2022, which was transferred to the 2023-24 season.
Back on March 29, Briere expressed enthusiasm about finally securing Fedotov’s services.
“Our goalie coaches are excited to get their hands on him, start working with him,” Briere said at the time. “I think it’s the way he covers the net, how well he moves for a guy his size. I think that’s probably one of the most impressive things about him.”
With all Fedotov has been through, finally signing with the Flyers for financial security (and overall piece of mind) should come as a relief.
“He’s been through a lot in his career,” Briere noted. “He’s been through a lot in his personal life. But he keeps fighting. He keeps working, keeps working his craft.”
