Huge turnaround in Flyers’ Ivan Fedotov’s saga that forced him to stay in Russia and miss the entire season!
This is not the update anyone expected, but, remember how it started! The goalie was arrested by Russian authorities who allege that he evaded military service.
HockeyFeed
The nightmare began last year for Philadelphia Flyers goaltender and prospect Ivan Fedotov when he was arrested by Russian authorities who allege that he evaded military service and illegally broke his contract with CSKA Moscow. He was then sent a remote military base in northern Russia.
There was a sense that Fedotov was being punished for wanting to leave Russia. Two months prior to his arrest, on May 7 2022, Fedotov had signed a contract with the Flyers, agreeing on a one-year deal with a $925,000 cap hit because he did not have an existing contract in Russia for next season. The Flyers originally selected him in the 2015 NHL Draft in the seventh round. He was however detained by the Russian government on a military evasion charge seeing that, in Russia, “all males 18-27 (with rare exceptions) are required to serve one year in the military in some capacity if they are conscripted.” He went on to do his military service and earlier this week an update confirmed that Fedotov and his navy team were taking part in the Armed Forces Ice Hockey Championships in St. Petersburg. It was also noted that “participation in this championship will complete Fedotov’s military service, and Ivan is expected to be demobilized by the beginning of July.”
This is huge for the netminder, especially with the changes in between the pipes taking place in Philly. It could be that the Flyers will look to offer him a contract again and could be part of the goalie carousel for the organization. Earlier this week, the Flyers traded defenseman Ivan Provorov in a three-team trade to land in a hefty return goaltender Cal Petersen from the Los Angeles Kings. Rumours have since surfaced that goalie Carter Hart could also be moved by the Flyers.
There could be an eventual spot for Fedotov in Philadelphia, especially if the report confirms that he can be given a chance out of the military service and Russia and into the big league.
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