What’s better than one pleasant surprise for the Philadelphia Flyers?
Two.
On Friday morning, Russian goaltender Ivan Fedotov touched down in perhaps much earlier than expected – conducting an introductory press conference alongside Flyers general manager Danny Briere and admirably doing the whole thing in English without any help.
Fedotov, who was drafted nearly nine full years ago in the summer of 2015, knew it was a long time coming. His first words as a Flyers player?
“I’m so excited and happy to be here. I have great feelings, because, like, really difficult two years for me.”
The 27-year-old was last at the Flyers Training Center in Voorhees, New Jersey, eight years ago, participating in a development camp as a teenager.
Now, as a mature, experienced goalie, Fedotov joins the Flyers at the NHL level, giving Sam Ersson some support as the Orange and Black push for a playoff spot with only seven games remaining in the regular season.
“Hopefully, it’s a little bit of a boost, as well,” Briere offered. “We’re coming down the stretch. You can’t make trades anymore, so hopefully, it’s a little bit of a boost, and everybody gets excited so we can finish strong and find a way to get in the playoffs.
“Sam [Ersson] was kept in the loop. Felix [Sandstrom] was kept in the loop. We tried to be as open as we can with our players. . . But, at the same time, we told Sam, ‘You’ve earned the right to be the No. 1. We believe in you. We trust in you.'”
Fedotov is available to play for the Flyers as soon as Saturday when the team hosts the Chicago Blackhawks at Wells Fargo Center at 7 p.m. Ersson, as Briere communicated, is still the starting goalie, while Felix Sandstrom was returned to the AHL to play for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
At some point, Alexei Kolosov figures to join Sandstrom there.
It’s unclear when Fedotov is slated to make his Flyers debut, though the team will play one more back-to-back this season, facing Buffalo and Columbus on April 5 & 6.
The important thing is that Fedotov has finally arrived.
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