Early Saturday morning it was reported that Philadelphia Flyers goalie Ivan Fedotov had indeed signed with CSKA Moscow, after the KHL initially refused to honor the contract.
Philadelphia Flyers goalie prospect Ivan Fedotov had completed his Russian military obligations earlier this month and was released from service as a result. Many had speculated that Fedotov could have returned to the Philadelphia Flyers, because he still had a valid contract with the organization which was tolled for the 2023-24 season.
Ivan Fedotov has signed a contract with CSKA Moscow for two years, worth 50 million rubles, or approximately $548,000 in U.S. dollars. Ivan Fedotov, alongside his head coach Sergei Fedorov, and CSKA president Igor Esmantovich, will hold a press conference on July 17.
The press conference will surely be a moment of emphasis for both the KHL and NHL. Ivan Fedotov does have a valid contract with the Philadelphia Flyers, but the KHL has refuted this and claimed that they have received documents that suggest otherwise. This would violate the Memorandum of Understanding gentleman’s agreement that was previously honored by the two leagues. The memorandum was cancelled by the NHL last year, likely as a result of the conflict in Ukraine, but was still mutually upheld. Now, that understanding has been squashed.
NHL Vice Commissioner Bill Daly has stated that “If Ivan Fedotov plays in the KHL, it will be contrary to his contractual obligations to the Philadelphia Flyers”. And based on this comment, it doesn’t seem like the NHL is willing to lay down and let this happen. Although, it’s certain the Philadelphia Flyers would happily trade a year of Ivan Fedotov if it means Matvei Michkov can come over to North America hassle-free later on.
It will be fascinating to see how things unfold over the next two weeks as a result of Ivan Fedotov’s new KHL contract.
*This is a developing story. All information credited to @HockeyNewsHub on Twitter.