Last summer, the Flyers thought they were getting top prospect Ivan Fedotov to play for them, inking him to a one-year deal. Instead, he wound up spending the season fulfilling his military obligations and did not suit up in a game. That permitted Philadelphia to toll the netminder’s contract, rolling it over to next season. However, in the meantime, Fedotov agreed to terms on a two-year deal with CSKA Moscow a while back on a deal beginning in 2023-24, hoping to stay overseas.
Earlier this week, Sport-Express in Russia reached out to the KHL for more information and they indicated that they asked the NHL to get clarification on Fedotov’s status. At that time, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly indicated that it is their opinion that Fedotov has a valid contract with the Flyers for the upcoming season. The NHL and KHL have previously operated with a Memorandum of Understanding between the two leagues, meaning one league can’t poach a signed player away from the other. The NHL suspended that agreement last year. Meanwhile, the KHL announced today that they disagree with the NHL’s assertion and have registered the contract for Fedotov with CSKA Moscow.
For the first time now, both leagues believe they have a legitimately-registered contract with Fedotov for the upcoming season, meaning they’re entering some uncharted territory when it comes to determining who is correct. The KHL’s announcement indicates that Fedotov’s clearly-stated preference is to remain in Russia.
The 26-year-old was drafted by the Flyers in the seventh round back in 2015 (188th overall) and has emerged as one of the top goalies in the KHL while putting up a stellar 1.61 GAA with a .943 SV% in the 2022 Olympics. Last summer, the plan was for him to serve as the backup to Carter Hart and when that option fell through, they turned to internal options Felix Sandstrom and Samuel Ersson.
Now, veteran Cal Petersen is also in the mix after the team took on his contract in a pre-draft three-way trade involving Los Angeles and Columbus. However, with two years and $10MM left on his contract, it’s safe to say that he would pass through waivers successfully next season if they needed to open up a roster spot for Fedotov should the NHL and Flyers prove successful in any hypothetical hearing to determine his fate and get him to North America for 2023-24.
Notably, Fedotov is only one year away from reaching NHL unrestricted free agency so if his long-term intention is to remain in Russia, if the NHL is able to enforce his contract with them, he could simply play out the season in North America and then head back to the KHL for 2024-25 and beyond. Alternatively, Fedotov’s camp may ask Philadelphia to simply do a mutual termination of his contract although doing so would mean that the Flyers would relinquish his NHL rights immediately.
The KHL’s decision today to register Fedotov’s contract is an important next step in the process of determining where the netminder will play next season. But with relations between the two leagues not at their best at the moment, it’d be surprising if this announcement was the end of the discussion as it relates to where Fedotov plays in 2023-24.
(shrugs) The NHL suspended the agreement. There’s no other agreement/understanding/something written on toilet paper in pencil between the leagues. Daly and the Flyers can bleat and flail all the like, for the good it’ll do.
This isn’t even in the top 3 of the weirdness or craziness of the Fedotov story. He signed the KHL contract and shortly after, and I believe during a practice or something I have to check, an unmarked van shows up to take him saying he has to do military service. Then, while in service he’s seen leaving one of the facilities when he shouldn’t. Shortly after he’s in the hospital saying he thinks he was poisoned. If you Google Hockeyfeed Fedotov poisoned they have a lot of the story.
Good grief.
Ahhh yes. The TMZ of the NHL. Reliable source that one is. They also have a article suggesting all the players who requested trades out of Calgary have recinded those requests now due to Sutter’s firing, yet none of them have publicly done so.
Very believable and totally not made up. Russia doesn’t give a **** about Fedotov as long as he follows the rules. Not to say said rules should exist, but just about everyone else didn’t end up in the same situation as him. He was the only player arrested, and as far as I can tell no one was tied up in the KHL as long as he was. Why would they care to poison the guy?
Hell, if they wanted to do him in and have clean hands, all they needed to do was stick him in a uniform, plunk a rifle into his hands, and drop him on the front lines at Bakhmut.
Bingo. Why waste a perfectly good young man?
He needs to stay as far from windows as possible.
Mute point, Russia dosen’t go by the rules.
I’ve been seriously wondering if they didn’t just blow it again on Michkov. I doubt he has done his mandatory military service. It’s one thing to waste a late round pick but to throw away your 1st round pick on a hope and a prayer just seems looney. Guess only time will tell.
Michkov is the best Russian prospect since Ovechkin. With him the Russian government probably wants him to go to the NHL. A way to show a top Russian athlete on the word stage and all that.
What other player has had this issue? Seems like no other KHL player has issue coming over, so why should Michkov have a problem.
It could have just been that Fedotov tried to forge some military documents. That may be the key difference. But there was 5 picks between Bedard and Michkov and everyone else took the pass. Maybe Russia is still mad at what the bullies did to the red army team back in the 70s.
Kinda funny that Michkov seemed to feel the other way, which warms my heart as a Flyers fan. I do really hope we see both him and Fedotov here eventually, even if it takes a few years.