Flyers agree with Russian goalie Ivan Fedotov on two-year contract extension

The Flyers have been through the wringer the last two years in trying to get Ivan Fedotov to Philadelphia. Now that he’s here, they aren’t going to let him go easily.

On Tuesday, the Flyers announced that they have agreed to a two-year, $6.5 million contract extension with the Russian netminder.

The extension itself comes as no surprise, as Flyers general manager Danny Brière previously said they “don’t expect it to be an issue.” Fedotov, who didn’t join the Flyers until March 28, was set to become an unrestricted free agent. The Flyers already were working on extending Fedotov’s contract before he made the move to North America.

“I’m here for what hopefully will be a long time,” Fedotov said March 29 at his introductory news conference. A long time is now at least two more seasons.

» READ MORE: Ivan Fedotov is excited to finally join the Flyers: ‘I’m here for what hopefully will be a long time’

The average annual value of $3.25 million comes in much higher than expected, given that Fedotov has started only one game and played a total of 121 minutes, 9 seconds in the NHL. Fedotov, who turns 28 in November, mostly struggled in his three games with the Flyers, compiling a .811 save percentage and 4.95 goals against average. It should be noted that he was thrown into NHL action after a month of not playing following the end of his season. He also was breaking in new equipment to comply with the NHL’s different measurements, and his debut coincided with the defense’s worst spell of the season and an eight-game losing streak.

Fedotov’s arrival last month ended a two-year saga to bring him to Philadelphia. He was a seventh-round pick by the Flyers in 2015, and the team signed the goalie, who had starred the previous season for Kontinental Hockey League club CSKA Moscow, to a one-year, entry-level contract in May 2022. That is when things got crazy.

Before he could join the Flyers, Fedotov was arrested in St. Petersburg in July 2022 on suspicion of military evasion. He was accused of using a fake military ID to avoid Russia’s one year of mandatory military service and subsequently was sent to a base in northern Russia to complete his requirement. He missed the entire 2022-23 KHL season while serving in the Russian navy.

With Fedotov’s service completed and with what the Flyers viewed as a still-valid NHL contract, the team attempted to bring the 6-foot-7 netminder over again before this past season. But CSKA Moscow argued that Fedotov’s Flyers deal had expired and that he had signed a new two-year deal to stay. The KHL registered Fedotov as a player and he played last season for CSKA, despite the International Ice Hockey Federation’s ruling that CSKA and Fedotov were in breach of his NHL contract. After the season, CSKA terminated Fedotov’s deal a year early, clearing the way for him to join the Flyers.

“It’s been a long road,” Brière said on March 29. “I give him a lot of props to keep pushing and finally have the chance to come. Hopefully, it’s a new chapter for him and he gets to start the NHL career and [he] goes off on the right foot.”

The question now for Fedotov will be rust and whether he can ever get back to his 2021-22 form, which had many calling him “the best goalie outside the NHL.” During that season, Fedotov posted a 14-10-2 record with a .919 save percentage and 2.00 GAA. He was named the KHL’s top goaltender and led CSKA to the Gagarin Cup, the KHL’s championship. Fedotov was almost unbeatable during CSKA’s playoff run with a .937 save percentage and 1.85 GAA over 22 games. That same year, he backstopped the Russian Olympic Committee to a silver medal at the Beijing Olympics.

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Fedotov wasn’t as good this season after returning from a year away from the professional game. He was 21-22-1 with a .914 save percentage and 2.37 GAA, although for context the KHL is known for being a lower-scoring and more defensive league.

With the Flyers, he played well in relief in his first appearance, stopping 19 of 21 shots against the New York Islanders. But he was shaky in his first start (four goals on 19 shots in a loss to Buffalo), and gave up four of the nine goals the Flyers conceded on April 9 against the Montreal Canadiens. While obviously imposing in net because of his size, Fedotov looked rigid and slow in his NHL outings and will need to adjust to the pace and skill level of a better league.

With Carter Hart charged with sexual assault and unlikely to play for the Flyers again, Fedotov is expected to back up Sam Ersson next season, with Brière saying during his exit interview that the plan is an Ersson-Fedotov tandem. The Flyers also just brought a second goalie over from the KHL in Alexei Kolosov. Kolosov, 22, is considered one of the organization’s top prospects, but he might need a year of seasoning in the AHL.