‘His story is quite remarkable:’ Another chapter begins in the tantalizing NHL career of goalie Ivan Fedotov

Photo Credit: Russell LaBounty/Imagn Images

A lot has transpired for Russian goaltender Ivan Fedotov between being drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in 2015 and being traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday.

“It was a long road for me,” said Ivan Fedotov late last season.

The road was one of perseverance, patience, and determination.

Having been dealt by the Flyers to the Blue Jackets on Sunday, Fedotov’s journey to an NHL roster spot began a decade before.

The Flyers selected the towering 6-foot-7 goaltender in the seventh round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. Fedotov was playing for Reaktor Nizhnekamsk in the MHL, Russia’s major junior hockey league. Like most goalies drafted in the late rounds, it would take many seasons of development in Russia for Fedotov to become an NHL-ready netminder.

The 28-year-old would play in various leagues and with a multitude of teams in Russia from his draft year in 2015 through the 2021-22 season. Fedotov was outstanding in what many thought would be his final KHL season before making the jump to the NHL. In 26 regular-season games for CSKA Moskva, he posted a 2.00 goals against average and a .919 save percentage, with a 14-10-2 record. In 22 playoff games that year, Fedotov was 16-6-0 with a 1.85 GAA and a .937 SV%. Fedotov led his team to a KHL (Kontinental Hockey League) Championship.

Fedotov would sign a one-year entry-level contract in May 2022, getting within touching distance of his NHL dreams.

However, a few months later, and not too long before the goalie was set to arrive in Philadelphia, he was detained by the Russian government for allegedly avoiding mandatory military service.

After being arrested in St. Petersburg, Russia, Fedotov would spend the next year fulfilling his mandatory military duties at a camp in northern Russia. It would be over a year before Fedotov would touch the ice again.

Upon completion of his military service, Fedotov signed a two-year contract with CSKA. This added another twist to a long, windy road that Fedotov was on to get to the United States, let alone play in the NHL. After returning to CSKA and the KHL, there was significant doubt among fans that Fedotov would ever dress for the Orange and Black.

Despite not playing in 2022-23, Fedotov did not miss a beat in his return to the ice a year later. He had a 2.37 GAA, a .914 SV%, and four shutouts in 44 KHL regular-season games. He would post similar numbers in five postseason contests.

On Thursday, March 28, 2024, CSKA terminated the contract of their starting goalie, allowing him to make the jump to the NHL. A day later, the Flyers presented Fedotov to the media and their fans at the Flyers Training Center in Voorhees, New Jersey. Fedotov’s contract was still valid through the end of the 2023-24 NHL season, which allowed him to play in three games for the Flyers that year.

"His story is quite remarkable," said Flyers captain Sean Couturier last April. "I'm not too sure of exactly all the details of what he has went through, but just hearing the story, it's pretty crazy, pretty wild. It would be hard for anyone to really come back and play at this level."

After all that Fedotov went through to get to the league, the Flyers rewarded him with a two-year contract, with a $3.25 million average annual value. It was a new lease on life in the City of Brotherly Love for the Russian, who would finally have a full offseason to train and a preseason with his new team.

The 2024-25 season would be one filled with ups and downs for the 28-year-old. He won his first NHL game on November 7, 2024, a shootout win in Tampa Bay against the Lightning. This was the eighth game of Fedotov’s career and the 14th game of the season. Fedotov would go 4-1-1 in November, showing signs of promise.

However, Fedotov would go on to lose his next eight games from December 5, 2024, to February 6, 2025. Due to congestion at the goaltending position and decisions by former Flyers head coach John Tortorella, Fedotov spent weeks at a time on the bench or in the press box without seeing any action. He made one start in December, five days into the month, and didn’t play again until January 5. He played one game in February, six days into the month, and didn’t play again until March 1, a shootout win in Winnipeg against the Jets. Fedotov would play his final game of the season on April 13, a 4-3 road loss to the Ottawa Senators.

Off the ice, Fedotov ended the season on a positive note. He was nominated as the Flyers’ representative for the Bill Masterson Memorial Trophy, given to “the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to ice hockey."

"I have a ton of respect for guys that stay with it that long to realize a dream that I'm sure for a long portion of his career maybe felt like a very long way off," said former Flyers interim head coach Brad Shaw. "For him to get here and play some fantastic hockey for us, as well.”

Flyers General Manager Daniel Briere went into the offseason with many questions surrounding the goaltending position. Fedotov, along with Sam Ersson and Aleksei Kolosov, combined for the fifth-worst GAA per game (3.45) and the worst SV% (.879) in the league. Briere signed former Calgary Flames goaltender Dan Vladar in the offseason, giving his team four goalies with varying NHL experience.

With a logjam in net, Fedotov’s future with the Flyers looked uncertain. He had one year remaining on his contract, but was projected to start the season with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the American Hockey League. Even down in the minors, there was a slew of starting-caliber netminders. Kolosov, a former third-round pick in 2021, will start the season in the AHL, despite his clear desire to be in the NHL. He will be joined by Carson Bjarnason, a 2023 second-round selection, who turned pro at the end of last year.

With Fedotov on a hefty contract for a goalie who could spend most, if not all, of the season in the AHL, and the oldest of the three options for the Phantoms, the Flyers decided to trade him to the Blue Jackets in a deal on Sunday. The Flyers received a 2026 sixth-round pick in exchange for the netminder and will not retain any salary.

Fedotov will now have a chance to compete for a roster spot in a less crowded goalie room. He will join Elvis Merzlikins, whose future with the team is up in the air after requesting a trade last season, and 24-year-old prospect Jet Greaves, who has 21 games of NHL experience with the Blue Jackets and went 7-2-2 last season.

"Ivan has great size, is athletic for a big goaltender and will provide our club with additional depth at the position,” said Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell. "That has been a priority for us during the offseason, and this trade accomplishes that.”

After a tumultuous journey to America, Fedotov now gets a fresh start and can continue chasing his NHL dreams.