Another goalie controversy emerges in Philly after ordeal with Carter Hart and Ivan Fedotov’s deal
Contracts, deadlines and starting jobs… oh my!
HockeyFeed
On Friday morning, Philadelphia Flyers general manager Daniel Briere confirmed that goalie Ivan Fedotov has joined the team, nine years after he was drafted by Philly.
The road to the NHL has been more than complicated for Fedotov, whose NHL career was delayed following a forced stint in Russian military service. He was then forced to play in Russia’s KHL before his deal was eventually terminated by CSKA Moscow earlier this week.
Fedotov quickly made his way to Philadelphia, where for months now the team has been dealing with ways to find a perfect replacement for former star goalie Carter Hart, who is officially no longer a member of the Philadelphia Flyers, having been removed from the team after it was revealed he was one of the players on the 2018 Team Canada World Junior roster that was charged with sexual assault.
Since then, the Flyers have been rolling with goaltenders Samuel Ersson, the struggling Cal Petterson and young Felix Sandstrom, but now with Fetedov in tow, they have more options.
Because, yes, GM Briere confirmed this morning that Fedotov would indeed be eligible to play in the playoffs. He however added that for now, Ersson remains the Flyers’ No. 1 goalie in their mind amidst the playoff push and ahead of the postseason.
This has prompted fans and pundits to attack the Flyers with questions, wondering why Fedotov can play in the postseason despite getting signed after the March 8 deadline. On top of that, he has never played in the NHL, which has fans worried that he may not be ready for these responsibilities.
There is an important notion to know from Fedotov’s current deal: his initial contract is set to expire ahead of the July 1 free agency period. The deal was signed in 2022, but the Flyers were able to push the contract back to 2023-24.
Prior to that as you know, there was just a lot going on for Fedotov, who was banned from national and international games with Russia, but still managed to register a 21-22-1 record en route to a first-round playoff elimination with CSKA.
I feel like if the 27-year-old netminder can overcome all of this, he has a shot at being successful in Philadelphia and providing the Flyers with strong goaltending depth.
Let’s see…
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