It has taken quite a while but the Flyers have finally been able to sign prospect goaltender Ilya Fedotov, announcing that they’ve inked the netminder to a one-year, entry-level contract. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The 25-year-old was drafted in the seventh round back in 2015 and the only reason that Philadelphia was able to retain his rights for that long without ever signing him is that the Russian Hockey Federation doesn’t have a signed Player Transfer Agreement with the NHL. He was capped at signing a one-year contract due to his age.
Fedotov has had a stellar KHL career, recording a 2.13 GAA along with a .925 SV% in 89 games over seven years. His numbers this season were very close to that as he posted a 2.00 GAA and a .919 SV% in 26 appearances with CSKA Moscow during the regular season. He was even better in the playoffs, helping his team engineer a comeback from being down 3-1 to Metallurg Magnitogorsk while recording a 1.85 GAA and a .937 SV% in 22 contests. Fedotov may also be recognized from the Olympics as he suited up for the Russian Olympic Committee in that tournament, helping lead them to a silver medal.
It’s unlikely that Fedotov will be coming to North America to play with Philadelphia’s AHL affiliate in Lehigh Valley. Instead, he should be expected to form the other half of their goaltending tandem with Carter Hart and with the youngster struggling over the last couple of seasons, there will be an opportunity for the 6’8 Fedotov to push for playing time right away. The Flyers had to wait nearly seven years to sign Fedotov and they’ll soon be able to find out if he was worth the wait.
nice