Former KHL club CSKA Moscow goaltender Ivan Fedotov joins Philadelphia Flyers
BEIJING, CHINA - FEBRUARY 16: Goalkeeper Ivan Fedotov #28 of Team ROC reacts while leaving the rink after defeating Team Denmark 3-1 in the Men’s Ice Hockey Quarterfinal match between Team ROC and Team Denmark on Day 12 of the Beijing 2022 Winter Oly
PHILADELPHIA - Nine years after he was drafted by Philadelphia, goalie Ivan Fedotov has joined the Flyers.
Fedotov — whose NHL career was delayed following a forced stint in Russian military service — had his contract in Russia’s KHL terminated Thursday by CSKA Moscow.
Fedotov and Flyers general manager Danny Briere are set to meet the media on Friday at the team's headquarters in New Jersey.
CSKA announced the abrupt termination with one year remaining on it, saying it keeps his KHL rights and "the club thanks Ivan Fedotov and wishes him good luck in further career."
The Flyers drafted Fedotov in the seventh round in 2015. The 27-year-old Fedotov is under contract with the Flyers this season after his initial deal, signed in May 2022, was tolled. He attempted to come to North America in July 2022, but instead was taken by authorities to a remote military base in the Arctic Circle for a year of service.
Last summer, after completing that service, Fedotov signed a two-year contract with CSKA. He played for the team this past season, appearing in 49 games through March 8, when it was eliminated in the first round of the KHL's Gagarin Cup playoffs.
Because Fedotov already had an NHL contract with the Flyers, the International Ice Hockey Federation last summer ruled in their favor and sanctioned him and CSKA.
Fedotov was the starter for the Russians at the 2022 Beijing Olympics when they reached the final and lost to Finland.