Ivan Fedotov joins Philadelphia Flyers after KHL's CSKA Moscow terminates goalie's contract
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Ivan Fedotov's complicated journey from Russia to the Philadelphia Flyers is now complete. The Flyers on Friday morning announced Fedotov will join the team after CSKA Moscow of the KHL terminated the goaltender's contract.
CSKA terminated Fedotov's contract Thursday, which had one year left on it.
The KHL team said on its website, "The club thanks Ivan Fedotov and wishes him good luck in further career."
"I'm so excited to be here," Fedotov said at a press conference Friday. "It has been a difficult two years."
The 27-year-old Fedotov was drafted by the Flyers in the seventh round of the 2015 NHL draft. He later signed his entry-level contract in May 2022 and indicated at the Beijing Olympics he was planning a jump to the NHL.
Instead, Fedotov was taken by Russian authorities to a remote military base in the Arctic Circle for a year of service, his agent said in July 2022.
Fedotov completed his military service last summer and then signed a two-year contract with CSKA. The International Ice Hockey Federation last August ruled in the Flyers' favor, saying that Fedotov had a valid NHL contract for the 2023-24 season. The IIHF's ruling created a path for Fedotov to leap to North America.
The NHL cut ties with Russia after the war in Ukraine, leading to complicated relations between the league and the KHL - no transfer agreement is in place between the two leagues, according to The Associated Press.
The AP reported last August the IIHF — the hockey world's governing board — ruled CSKA's contract with Fedotov was a "breach of international transfer regulations because Fedotov did not obtain a release from his contract with the Flyers." IIHF sanctioned CSKA and handed Fedotov a four-month suspension.
Fedotov played in 49 games through March 8 with CSKA in the 2023-24 season. The KHL team was eliminated in the first round of the KHL's Gagarin Cup playoffs.
Per CapFriendly, Fedotov has a one-year contract with the Flyers.
Fedotov will join the team immediately. The Flyers have relied on goalie Samuel Ersson since Carter Hart was placed on a leave of absence. Hart is one of five players charged with sexual assault in the 2018 Hockey Canada investigation.
Philadelphia has used Felix Sandstrom and Cal Peterson as its backups since. Fedotov could offer the team an upgrade.
Flyers general manager Danny Briere said Friday that Sandstrom is no longer on the roster.
The Flyers (36-28-10) currently hold a playoff spot with eight games remaining.