No One Does Goalie Drama Like The Flyers, As Ivan Fedotov Gets Released By KHL's CSKA Moscow

Perhaps more than any team in the NHL, the Philadelphia Flyers are known for their struggles when it comes to getting consistent goal-tending.

It looked like the answer to that problem could be Carter Hart… but things have gone a little differently.

One of the other hopes for the Flyers is Russian goalie Ivan Fedotov. The Flyers hold the 27-year-old's North American rights, but there have been some real problems in bringing him across the pond. 

When the Flyers attempted to bring Fedotov to North America in 2022, he was suddenly whisked away for military service.

Since then, he has been playing for CSKA Moscow of the KHL.

It may not surprise you, but CSKA is the modern-day "Red Army" team that played some games against NHL teams in the mid-1970s and was famously chased off the ice by the Flyers in their Broad Street Bullies heyday.

According to TSN, in August 2023 the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) ruled in favor of the NHL and the Flyers. CSKA appealed and lost in December which also handed them a one-year transfer band.

Still, Fedotov remained under contract with the team until it was announced that it had terminated his deal on Thursday. 

That obviously opens the door for the netminder to start his NHL career. According to reporter Elliotte Friedman, there is already talk that he is on his way to the States.

There's some contractual wrangling that needs to be done before Fedotov can hop between the pipes in orange and black, but this news couldn't have come at a better time for the Flyers.

Goaltender Ivan Fedotov could be coming to North America at a perfect time for the Flyers. (Photo by Maksim Konstantinov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Flyers Need Some Depth In Net If They Want To Do Anything With A Surprise Playoff Appearance

While it's not set in stone, the Flyers look set for a playoff appearance, especially after getting a few points out of a buzzsaw seven-game stretch that included the Bruins and Maple Leafs twice each, plus the Hurricanes, Panthers, and Rangers.

That's a shock considering the Flyers are at the start of a full rebuild, so anything they accomplish this season is a bonus.

But they still want to win, and ever since Carter Hart took a leave of absence from the team to face a sexual assault charge, goaltending has been a bit of an issue.

Now, even before Hart left, Samuel Ersson was playing well and has continued to do so. The problem was behind him. Cal Peterson and Felix Sandstrom have not been cutting the mustard on Ersson's off nights.

So, this news about Fedotov comes at an unbelievable time for the Flyers. Would they like to have had him on the roster at the start of the season? Sure, but better late than never.

While throwing an NHL newbie into the Playoffs isn't ideal, Fedotov is in his late twenties and has a lot of KHL experience to his credit. 

Look, I like to goof on the KHL as much as the next red-blooded North American hockey fan, but there's no shortage of talent in that league.

If the contract wrangling can get done, I think Fedotov will be a great backup for Ersson through the rest of this season and into the playoffs (assuming the Flyers don't fall completely apart in the last nine games, only two of which are against playoff teams (although, as a Flyers fan my entire life, I'm not going to relax until the math completely checks out).

The Flyers are no strangers to goalie drama, but it looks like they may be on the winning side of it for once.