Flyers Have Growth In Pick Collection, Trade Ivan Fedotov To Columbus

In a move that shocked absolutely no one paying attention, the Philadelphia Flyers have finally parted ways with goaltender Ivan Fedotov. The towering 6-foot-7 netminder is heading to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round draft pick. Let’s all take a moment to contain our excitement. A sixth-rounder, you say? The Flyers are truly playing 4D chess with this rebuild.

Why The Flyers Made This Trade

The trade mercifully clears about $3.25 million in cap space for the Flyers, dumping the final year of Fedotov’s two-year, $6.5 million contract. This was a deal signed back in April 2024, a time filled with misplaced optimism that the Russian goalie could be a legitimate piece of the puzzle. Instead, he became a very expensive, very tall third wheel.

For Columbus, this is… a move. They get a warm body in the net who can become an unrestricted free agent after this season. It’s a low-risk flyer on a guy who was once crowned the best goalie in the KHL. Maybe a change of scenery is just what the doctor ordered, or maybe they just needed to meet a certain height requirement for their team photo.

A Disappointing Philadelphia Story

To say Ivan Fedotov’s tenure in Philadelphia was a letdown would be an understatement. Last season, his first full campaign in the NHL, was a statistical nightmare. He posted a 6-13-4 record, a bloated 3.15 goals-against average, and a dismal .880 save percentage. At one point, he was so far down the depth chart he probably needed a map to find the ice, going a full month without seeing any game action. There was potential too in 2023/2024, but it just didn’t get any better for him in Philadelphia.

The Flyers’ goaltending was a certified disaster last year. The trio of Samuel Ersson, Fedotov, and Aleksei Kolosov combined for a league-worst .872 save percentage. It was so bad that General Manager Danny Briere had no choice but to go shopping, bringing in Dan Vladar this offseason. Briere didn’t exactly mince words, telling his goalies after the season, “This wasn’t good enough,” and warning them that reinforcements were coming. Well, the reinforcement arrived, and now one of the original problems has been shipped off to Ohio.

What’s Next for the Flyers’ Crease?

With Fedotov gone, the picture in the Flyers’ net is slightly less crowded, but not necessarily clearer. The presumed tandem is now Samuel Ersson and the newly acquired Dan Vladar. Down on the farm, prospects Aleksei Kolosov and Carson Bjarnason are expected to handle the duties for the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

This trade feels less like a strategic masterstroke and more like basic housekeeping. The Flyers had a struggling, expensive goalie on an expiring contract who was clearly not in their long-term plans. Getting a sixth-round pick for him is better than getting nothing, I suppose. It’s the kind of move that gets a quiet nod and then is immediately forgotten. Sort of like firing John Tortorella a year too late.

Final Thoughts – A Change of Scenery is Needed

For Ivan Fedotov, the journey has been anything but simple. Drafted way back in 2015, his path to the NHL was a winding, dramatic road that finally led him to Philadelphia in March 2024. He was even the team’s nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for his perseverance. It’s a shame the on-ice performance never matched the off-ice narrative. Now, he gets a fresh start in Columbus, a team that’s no stranger to reclamation projects and they could use them at Goaltender. Good luck to them. They might need it.