The Philadelphia Flyers are expecting the growth to continue this upcoming season, whether it results in a playoff berth or not. While they did make some big moves like trading for Trevor Zegras, they are banking on their young stars to make a leap. But there was uncertainty regarding the goaltending situation.
Last year, the Flyers had one of the worst goalie situations in the entire NHL, having a .872 save percentage as a whole. That forced general manager Danny Briere to fix things, as they brought in Dan Vladar in free agency. Because of this signing, there was a logjam at goaltender entering training camp.
Well, Briere cleared it up a bit.
According to multiple reports, the Flyers traded away Ivan Fedotov to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round draft pick.
The #CBJ acquire goaltender Ivan Fedotov from #flyers for a 2026 sixth-round pick
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) September 14, 2025
Fedotov carries a $3.275M cap hit but is owed just $775,000 in actual salary this season
Incredibly low-cost bet for Columbus
Flyers clear up goalie logjam by trading Ivan Fedotov to Blue Jackets
Fedotov is what teams would want in a goaltender, as he stands at 6-foot-7. The thing is, he hasn't put it all together in terms of production.
Fedotov has been with the team since 2015 as their 188th overall pick, but didn't get an immediate shot to play. His lone season with significant playing time was last season for the Flyers, playing in 26 games and starting in 24 of them. During that stretch of games, Fedotov recorded a 3.15 goals allowed average, a .880 save percentage, and a 6-13-4 win-loss record.
The Flyers have Samuel Ersson as their starter, who is coming off of a 2024-25 campaign where he posted a .883 save percentage, a 3.14 goals allowed average, and a 22-17-5 win-loss record. The team brought in Dan Vladar this offseason to be the primary backup for the Flyers. Vladar put up a 2.80 goals allowed average, a .898 save percentage, and a 12-11-6 win-loss record in 30 games for the Calgary Flames.
Now, Vladar's role as the primary backup goalie was solidifed as the Flyers moved on from Fedotov, who is entering the final year of his contract. The Blue Jackets desperately needed some help at the goaltender position, so maybe the change of scenery could work wonders for him.