Flyers sign Ivan Fedotov to two-year, $6.5 million contract

One of the few outstanding pieces of business left for Philadelphia Flyers general manager Daniel Briere in the immediate wake of the 2023-24 season was the status of goaltender Ivan Fedotov, whose dramatic arrival in North America in the final weeks of the campaign drove so much national attention.

Yet Fedotov, for all of the league-wide interest surrounding his move across the ocean, was only under contract with the Flyers through July 1 — he was slated to become a free agent at the conclusion of the season.

No longer is that the case.

A team source confirmed to PHLY Sports on Tuesday morning that the Flyers have signed the 27-year old Fedotov to a two-year contract extension worth $6.5 million. The Flyers now have their NHL goaltending duo for 2024-25, with Sam Ersson under contract at a $1.45 million cap hit and Fedotov at $3.25 million, for a combined $4.7 million.

Fedotov — a 2015 seventh round pick by the club — was originally slated to join the Flyers to start the 2022-23 season, after breakout performances at the Olympics for Russia (0.943 save percentage in six games) and in the KHL playoffs that same season for his CSKA Moskva club (0.937 in 22 games), leading Russia to a silver medal and CSKA to the Gagarin Cup. Fedotov signed his NHL entry-level contract in May of 2022, and began preparation to join the Flyers’ organization for camp in September.

But that summer, Fedotov was detained by Russian authorities, and charged with evasion of military service — a situation likely in least in part driven by the increased geopolitical tensions between the United States and Russia due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine earlier in 2022. Fedotov was not permitted to leave his home country, and did not play hockey at all during the 2022-23 season; instead, he fulfilled his military service requirements.

In the summer of 2023, he was released from military duties, and permitted to restart his hockey career. But he quickly signed a two-year contract with his old KHL club CSKA Moskva, rather than attempt to jump to the NHL and fulfill the one-year ELC with the Flyers that both the NHL and ultimately the International Ice Hockey Federation deemed valid. Fedotov posted a 0.914 save percentage in 44 games with his club in 2023-24, dealing with obvious rust due to the extensive time he had missed the previous season. It appeared that Fedotov had resigned himself to staying in Russia for the foreseeable future.

But on March 28, Fedotov was officially released from the final season of his KHL contract, and immediately, it became clear that the Flyers were working to bring him over to North America as soon as possible. The very next day, Fedotov was introduced in Voorhees, New Jersey as a member of the Flyers, and only four days later, he made his NHL debut in relief of Ersson against the New York Islanders, stopping 19 of 21 shots in the 4-3 OT loss.

Fedotov made two final appearances for the Flyers, posting an underwhelming 0.811 save percentage across the three games. But the Flyers were not deterred, and Briere made it clear in his end-of-season exit interview that the front office was working on getting Fedotov signed to an extension, and planned to enter the 2024-25 with an Ersson/Fedotov tandem at the NHL level.

Now, said contract has been finalized, and Fedotov’s NHL career can truly, finally commence.

A deeper analysis of the merits and risks of the move will be published at ALLPHLY.com in the coming hours, for Diehard members only.