"In Russia they finally believed in me" - Flyers' Ivan Fedotov opens up on decision to ditch NHL 

By Cole Shelton

Modified Aug 09, 2023 15:42 GMT

Ivan Fedotov is considered as the best goalie who is not playing in the NHL as he remains in Russian in the KHL. Fedotov was drafted 188th overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in 2015 and has been trying to come over to the NHL for a bit now. In May 2022, he signed a one-year deal with the Flyers.

However, as he tried to leave Russia, he was arrested for alleged evasion of military service. He missed the entire hockey season as he served his military service.

The dispute didn't stop there as Ivan Fedotov and the Flyers then reportedly agreed to a deal for the 2023-24 NHL season. But, CSKA Moscow of the KHL revealed they had a two-year contract with the goalie and wouldn't let him join the Flyers.

Although Fedotov tried to join the Flyers, the goaltender now appears happy to continue to play in Russia.

“There were moments when I wanted to try my hand at the NHL, but hockey is a brutal, serious sport, and you have to have certain skills to succeed in it,” Fedotov said in an interview to Russian media outlet gazeta.ru.

“Perhaps at a stage when it was difficult to make myself known, I wanted to get into the NHL, and I was ready to break through the minor leagues there. But everything that is done is for the best. I am very glad that everything turned out this way, and in Russia they finally believed in me. I was given the opportunity."

With Ivan Fedotov seemingly staying in Russia, it appears the Flyers will have to look elsewhere for a new goaltender.

Would Ivan Fedotov competed for Carter Hart's job?

The Philadelphia Flyers currently have Carter Hart as their starting goaltender but some people thought if Feodtov joined the Flyers, he could've competed for the starting job.

Hart had an amazing rookie and sophomore season but struggled a bit in his next two seasons. After that, many wondered if he would be the team's starting goaltender but last season he had a solid season as Hart had a 2.94 GAA and a .907 SV%.

However, if Fedotov is as good as many scouts and analysts think, it would have been interesting to see how he would have fared in the NHL and if he would've been the Flyers starter.

But, with Ivan Feodtov now staying in Russia, Hart will remain the starting goaltender for the Flyers.