New Development in the Ivan Fedotov Saga

Aug 15, 2023

On Monday, the IIHF ruled that Fedotov’s contract with the Flyers is valid for 2023-24 and that he is suspended for four months from competing on his KHL team.

Ivan Fedotov was drafted by the Flyers in the seventh round of the 2015 draft. The 26-year-old Finnish-born goalie stands at 6’7″ and 205 pounds. He has never played in North America, spending most of his career in the KHL and representing Russia in international tournaments.

In May of 2022, Fedotov’s contract with his KHL team, CSKA Moscow, expired, and as a free agent, he signed an entry-level deal with the NHL team that drafted him, the Flyers. In July 2022, Fedotov was arrested for evasion of military service. In Russia, every man between 18 and 27 must serve at least one year in the military. It is believed that Fedotov may have purchased a fake military card to evade the required service. Fedotov spent a year at a Naval base in Serveromorsk on the Barents Sea.

Since he was unable to play, Fedotov’s contract with the Flyers would be applied to the 2o23-24 season. But in July of this year, Fedotov signed a two-year contract with his former KHL team CSKA Moscow.

But how could he be signed to two different teams in different leagues?

In the fallout of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the NHL suspended tie and communication with the KHL. After resigning from CSKA Moscow, the KHL announced that Fedotov was not holding a binding or valid contract with the NHL then and stated that he was a free agent.

On July 31 of this year, the Flyers and NHL requested the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) to launch an investigation into the matter.

And on August 14, the IIHF ruled in favor of the Flyers. The official ruling states that Fedotov violated the Professional Players’ Conduct of the IIHL International Transfer Regulations. Per Article II.4.1 Fedotov was given two weeks to join the Flyers or have his contract with Philadelphia terminated. It also states that CSKA Moscow was aware of Fedotov’s contract with the NHL when they signed him.

Out of this ruling, Fedotov has been banned from national and international competition for four months. Starting on September 1, when the KHL season begins, ending at the end of the calendar year. And that CSKA Moscow has a one-year ban on international transfers effective immediately.

Vice President of the KHL Valery Kamensky said in a statement that the decision was wrong. Stating that since Russia and Belarus are banned from IIHF competitions due to the war in Ukraine, the KHL needs to suspend cooperation with them until they are reinstated. They add that the KHL and NHL need to have direct connections and communicate with each other again. CSKA Moscow released a statement saying that they feel the ruling to be biased and have no doubt that Fedotov will play for them this year as he is still at training camp.

It is uncertain when or even if Fedotov will be coming to Philadelphia.

When he was drafted eight years ago, he was listed as the best goalie outside of North America, and he is still a highly touted netminder as he has entered the prime of his career.