The past 24 hours have been a whirlwind for Flyers fans. Almost two full years after initially signing with the Flyers in May 2022 then being detained by the Russian military making him complete his military service then signing with the KHL this past summer making it look like Fedotov would never be a Flyer, we just watched his first press conference as a Flyers goaltender. If you weren’t able to watch the presser or just want somewhere with the important notes all in one place, this article is for you.
Most importantly, Fedotov will be on the Flyers roster and it has been confirmed by Danny Briere that Felix Sandström has been sent down to Lehigh Valley. Briere mentioned that he was in communication with both Sam Ersson and Sandström about Fedotov, and probably also Kolosov, coming over for the rest of the season. It was also confirmed that Fedotov is eligible to play in the playoffs. Briere mentioned that he does not know when Fedotov will make his debut. The next game is on March 30 against Chicago. Fedotov may get the start since Chicago is at the bottom of the league, but Fedotov will almost definitely play one of the games next week on Friday or Saturday as that’s the last back-to-back of the season.
Briere mentioned how it’s been tough for Fedotov over the past two years especially not being able to play in the KHL for the 2022-23 season. Ivan talked about some rust to start the season, which was evident after pretty much not playing for a year, before settling back into more of what we saw before. Danny refused to answer a question about the weeks leading up to the presser saying those details will come out eventually and that right now the focus is on hockey then an extension.
Speaking of an extension, Fedotov’s contract from May 2022 is still valid after being tolled this offseason. The contract is for the rest of this season and Fedotov will be a UFA after the contract is over. Briere said an extension is not in place, but believes it will be a non-issue, which was the same sentiment Fedotov expressed about an extension leading to a positive outlook in that regard.
A few interesting notes are that Fedotov will be wearing 82, an inverse of the 28 he wore in Russia. This all but confirms that 28 is out of circulation, like 31 for Pelle Lindbergh, most likely meaning the Flyers will be retiring the number for Claude Giroux. Also, Fedotov still has some problems with English, evident when Briere helped him with the word “relief”. Fedotov was still very fluent in English and didn’t need much help during the presser, but with Michkov on the horizon and Kolosov coming over, having Fedotov and potentially Zamula here for a couple years could definitely help with a smooth transition for the younger Russians that are still learning the language.
An interesting tidbit that we may not get official confirmation on until the game against Chicago or his debut is that he may be the tallest NHL goalie ever. Ben Bishop, Mikko Koskinen, and Mads Søgaard all share the title of NHL’s tallest goalies at 6’7. On the NHL site, he is listed as 6’6, but is usually listed at 6’7 as well as being listed as 6’8. I’m sure the NHL would like to get their own official measure to know if history is made or not.
Word on Kolosov remains the same as before, needing to get his visa in order before coming over.
By Noah Caplan (@Phlyers24)
Photo creds: Jordan Hall (@JHallNBCS)
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