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

Ivan Fedotov was here in Voorhees in the summer of 2016, a 19-year-old seventh-round Flyers draft pick going through the team’s summer development camp as a hulking 6-foot-7 goaltender.

Nearly eight years later, Fedotov returned Friday morning. A lot transpired in the time between, especially in the last two years, but the Flyers introduced the 27-year-old as the newest member of their organization.

Fedotov is on the roster, available to play, and will likely be Sam Ersson’s backup as the Flyers finish out the final eight games of the regular season while trying to hang on to a playoff spot.

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The details — like the hardships Fedotov faced after being arrested last year in St. Petersburg, Russia, for alleged evasion of military service, and the timeline of how the Flyers got him to North American — remain largely unanswered. The Flyers told assembled media members at their training facility Friday that general manager Danny Brière and Fedotov would answer only hockey questions.

Brière would not answer a question about when Fedotov arrived in Philadelphia.

“We want to focus on hockey for now,” Brière said. “Eventually we’ll get into that, but for now we’ll just leave the details out.”

As for the hockey stuff, Brière made clear that Flyers coach John Tortorella is the arbiter of who plays, but Fedotov’s arrival bumped Felix Sandström, who was up with the club on an emergency recall, off the roster. Fedotov missed the entire 2022-23 season following his July 2022 arrest, which came after the Flyers signed him to a one-year, entry-level deal that May.

Fedotov was reportedly sent to Severomorsk, in northern Russia, to complete his military service. Back on the ice with CSKA Moscow this season, Fedotov went 21-22-1, with a 2.37 goals-against average, .914 save percentage, and four shutouts. He then had a 2.57 GAA and .916 save percentage in five playoff games.

“I’m here and I’m so excited and happy to be here,” said Fedotov, who is still working on his English.

“Really difficult last two years for me. I want to say thanks a lot to the organization for supporting me.”

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The Flyers were apparently working in the background to get Fedotov over to North America. Brière was coy with some details Thursday in Montreal, and refused to go into detail Friday morning on the logistics of how Fedotov ended up in the seat next to him.

The KHL announced Thursday that CSKA Moscow had terminated Fedotov’s two-year contract after the first season. In bringing him over now, Fedotov’s one-year deal signed in 2022 is rolled over to the current season. He will become a free agent after the year ends.

Brière said the team is working with Fedotov’s representation on a contract extension.

“I don’t expect it to be an issue,” Brière added.

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It’s hard to believe the Flyers would go through so much to bring Fedotov to America without bringing him back on another contract in the future.

“It’s been a long road,” Brière said. “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 Flyers have one back-to-back remaining in their final eight games, next Friday and Saturday, road games at Buffalo and Columbus. It’s likely Fedotov would make his NHL debut in one of those games.

Fedotov, who skated in Voorhees after his press conference Friday morning, would be the fifth goalie to start a game for the Flyers this season. Since Carter Hart, who is facing a sexual assault charge in Canada, left the team, Ersson has been the only reliable goaltender.

Brière said the club was open with Ersson and Sandström during the process of bringing Fedotov over and he wasn’t worried about the buzz around Fedotov’s arrival being a distraction.

“We’re coming down the stretch,” Brière said. “You can’t make trades anymore. Hopefully, it’s a little bit of a boost and everybody gets excited so we can finish strong and find a way to get into the playoffs. Obviously, that’s the number one thing around here these days.”

A challenge Fedotov said he’s looking forward to, too.

“I want to help the team struggle for the playoffs and be one of the best teams in the playoffs,” he said.

“I’m here for what hopefully will be a long time.”

The NHL fined Flyers forward Garnet Hathaway $2,000 after a second citation of diving/embellishment this season. The second infraction happened against the Boston Bruins on March 23. A third such infraction would levy a $3,000 fine.

After Thursday night’s game between the Canadiens and Flyers, Montreal defenseman Kaiden Guhle will be suspended for one game without pay for slashing Travis Konecny, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced on Friday. The slashing incident happened 19 minutes, 55 seconds into the second period.