The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) announced on Saturday that Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Ivan Fedotov, his former club, CSKA Moskva, and the Russian Ice Hockey Federation will all be facing sanctions for their roles in disregarding the valid contract Fedotov had signed with the Flyers last season.
Fedotov, 27, first signed with the Flyers nearly two years ago – May 7, 2022—but never arrived after signing his entry-level contract. The hulking Russian goaltender was arrested on July 1, 2022, on suspicion of evasion of military service, and was subsequently enrolled in the Russian navy shortly after being hospitalized with stress-induced gastritis.
Because he signed a two-year contract with CSKA last summer and played for them this season, Fedotov will be banned from playing at the club level for six months if he leaves the Flyers to play for any club under the IIHF’s jurisdiction.
CSKA will be banned from making any international transfers for two years, starting on August 11, 2024, and lasting until August 10, 2026. The IIHF also dolled out a 1 million Swiss franc fine to the RIHF for its role in the debacle.
Lastly, the IIHF has also banned Fedotov from playing in any IIHF competitions for three years, and the Federation made sure to specify in its press release that this includes the Olympic Games.
The significance of this is unclear at this time, given that Russia is banned from international competitions in multiple sports due to the nation’s unlawful invasion of and war against Ukraine.
In the meantime, Fedotov will finally get to begin his NHL career and truly get his feet out from underneath him. Fedotov joined the Flyers one day after his KHL contract with CSKA was terminated on March 28 and managed to play in a few NHL games before the end of the season.
Fedotov’s results with the Flyers were mixed: the 27-year-old was strong in relief of incumbent starter Sam Ersson against the Islanders on April 1, despite losing in overtime. Four days later, on April 5, Fedotov made his first NHL start against the Buffalo Sabres but allowed four goals on only 19 shots against. He also appeared in relief against the Montreal Canadiens on April 9 and allowed four goals on 13 shots in a futile bullpen effort.
The good news for the Flyers and Fedotov is that this saga is virtually over, especially given Fedotov signed a two-year, $6.55 million contract extension on April 23.
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