Flyers Trade Fedotov: What’s In It For Philly

By Bill Meltzer / September 14, 2025

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The Philadelphia Flyers traded 28-year-old goaltender Ivan Fedotov to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday. The deal made a lot of sense from Philly’s standpoint. The Flyers received a sixth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. However, the real value of the trade is NHL/AHL roster space and cap relief.

The trade avoids a potential three-goalie logjam either at the NHL (Samuel Ersson/Dan Vladar) or American Hockey League (Aleksei Kolosov/Carson Bjarnason) levels.
Columbus accepted the entire cap hit ($3.275 million) on the final season Fedotov’s contract. It represents roughly $2.165 million of added cap space as opposed to waiving the player and assigning him to the AHL.
It provides more breathing room for Kolosov to prove he deserves an NHL spot based off performance. It also makes it less likely that Bjarnason will have to start his pro career in the ECHL.

Flyers split Rookie Series with Rangers

The Philadelphia Flyers prospects split their two-game Rookie Series with the New York Rangers this weekend. On Friday, the Flyers staged a comeback 4-3 win in overtime. Subsequently, on Saturday, the Rangers led wire to wire in a 5-2 victory.

Ethan Samson and winger Alexis Gendron (second of the series) scored Philly’s goals on Saturday.

Nikita Grebenkin, who scored the overtime winner on Friday, assisted on both Flyers goals on Saturday. Meanwhile, after going the distance in goal on Friday, Carson Bjarnason (14 saves on 17 shots) split Saturday’s game with camp invite Joey Costanzo (10 saves on 11 shots).

This topic has 20 replies, 12 voices, and was last updated 1 week, 4 days ago by black_francis.

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September 14, 2025 at 11:36 am #27348

Bill Meltzer
Keymaster

The Flyers traded Ivan Fedotov to Columbus on Sunday. There are two distinct benefits to the deal apart from receiving a draft pick in return.

[See the full post at: Flyers Trade Fedotov: What’s In It For Philly]

September 14, 2025 at 12:31 pm #27384

ChickenDanshak
Participant

Good news! Any chance that Flyers will try to sign Carter Hart?

September 14, 2025 at 12:33 pm #27386

yes its me 2050
Participant

how does Kim Dillabaugh still have a job with the flyers? any insight?

September 14, 2025 at 2:21 pm #27446

VonZipper
Participant

ChickenDanshak wrote:

Good news! Any chance that Flyers will try to sign Carter Hart?

No chance at all. Hart said in an interview he wants a new start… preferably on a U.S.-based contender.

September 14, 2025 at 6:41 pm #27519

xShoot4WarAmpsx
Participant

He can say whatever he wants however at the end of the day its meaningless. If he wants to be picky with who he signs with he will end up as a backup[ goalie. Most teams dont need a goalie. His options where he has a legit chance to be a starter are:

Philadelphia
Edmonton
Pittsburgh
Carolina
Buffalo

Bottom 3 are a stretch too.

September 15, 2025 at 6:10 am #27567

Ricos Active Stick
Participant

There’s not a team in the league that would give their starting job to Hart right now. There’s no way a GM of any competence at all would, for instance, cast aside a goalie who has backstopped his team to game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals and game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals in the past two seasons for a guy who hasn’t played competitive hockey at any level during that entire playoff span. Wherever Hart ends up, he’s going to have to play his way back over time.

September 15, 2025 at 7:47 am #27584
Flyers_01
Participant
Bill Meltzer wrote:

The Flyers traded Ivan Fedotov to Columbus on Sunday. There are two distinct benefits to the deal apart from receiving a draft pick in return.

Flyers Trade Fedotov: What’s In It For Philly

The fact that they don’t have to retain salary in the trade, for a goalie who most likely was never going to play for the Flyers again, is great but let’s not forget the history behind it.

The pivot: By March 2024, the Flyers were surprisingly holding a playoff spot. Brière seemed to change his tune, telling The Philadelphia Inquirer with a grin, “We’re inside the playoff bubble. Like all of our fans, we’re really excited about that. Getting to the playoffs—that’s the goal from now on“. (The “Flyers are rebuilding, they really are!” crowd have collective amnesia on this one).

In a bid, not for the future, for that year to make the freaking playoffs when the Flyers started fading, Briere surrenders to Fedotov’s demands. Fedotov arrives in time to save the Flyers season but posts an .811 sv% in 3 appearances as the Flyers miss the playoffs and is rewarded with an above market contract.

https://x.com/ADiMarco25/status/1782745531619369429

I know the Fedotov AAV is higher than expected, but the contract was agreed upon prior to the player coming over from Russia. I’m told that the contract had to be a certain number to get Fedotov to come to North America.

Some people would call it extortion. The Flyers call it spending corporate sugar daddy’s money but you know, as DB said, they were all in for the playoffs. or were they all in for the rebuild? lol.

Fedotov got his bag and the Flyers got … to give him his money. The contract widely questioned in the media for a goalie who flopped when given the opportunity.

A panic move by a rookie front office that was sweating making the playoffs with little actual experience behind them
- This reply was modified 3 weeks ago by Flyers_01.
September 15, 2025 at 9:25 am #27608

DKO
Participant

xShoot4WarAmpsx wrote:

He can say whatever he wants however at the end of the day its meaningless. If he wants to be picky with who he signs with he will end up as a backup[ goalie. Most teams dont need a goalie. His options where he has a legit chance to be a starter are:

Philadelphia
Edmonton
Pittsburgh
Carolina
Buffalo

Bottom 3 are a stretch too.

I don’t know, I could see it being a tempting situation for a lot of teams. A chance to get a possible solid NHL starter at a discount price. All you need is a little patience and some spare $$.

September 15, 2025 at 9:35 am #27609

FlyerFrank
Participant

I don’t know, I could see it being a tempting situation for a lot of teams. A chance to get a possible solid NHL starter at a discount price. All you need is a little patience and some spare $$.

Yeah, Hart would be a significant upgrade over anyone the Flyers have. Jones doubled down on his support for Ersson last week.

September 15, 2025 at 9:54 am #27612

DKO
Participant

FlyerFrank wrote:

I don’t know, I could see it being a tempting situation for a lot of teams. A chance to get a possible solid NHL starter at a discount price. All you need is a little patience and some spare $$.

Yeah, Hart would be a significant upgrade over anyone the Flyers have. Jones doubled down on his support for Ersson last week.

Who knows if he’ll be an upgrade? It’s been a long time since he played NHL hockey. He seems a little mentally fragile. Who knows how everything has/will affect him? I imagine he feels some kind of way about the Flyers not having his back through everything (although every team would have done the same) and might not want to come here. He also knows that fans (and media) here are more familiar with him than in most other US hockey towns and there’ll be a good chunk of them who won’t want him here. I think he’s a dick, but he had a fair trial. He wasn’t found guilty of any crimes. I’d take a chance on him at a minimum salary.

September 15, 2025 at 10:03 am #27614

yes its me 2050
Participant

VonZipper wrote:

ChickenDanshak wrote:

Good news! Any chance that Flyers will try to sign Carter Hart?

No chance at all. Hart said in an interview he wants a new start… preferably on a U.S.-based contender.

did he actually say that or speculation?

I would 100% roll the dice with Hart. Low risk move. Sign him let him play in the ahl to find his game. If he does, then you trade same or vlader. More likely sam as he may have more value as cheaper. Teams also need backup goalies.

If he can’t back to nhl level then no harm done.

September 15, 2025 at 10:10 am #27615
black_francis
Participant
did he actually say that or speculation?

I would 100% roll the dice with Hart. Low risk move. Sign him let him play in the ahl to find his game. If he does, then you trade same or vlader. More likely sam as he may have more value as cheaper. Teams also need backup goalies.

If he can’t back to nhl level then no harm done.

man, for a guy who hates this team, you sure are here every day.

you say others suck the flyers off, but I guess you like getting bent over by them on a daily basis.

same time tomorrow?
- This reply was modified 3 weeks ago by black_francis.
September 15, 2025 at 10:25 am #27622

yes its me 2050
Participant

black_francis wrote:

did he actually say that or speculation?

I would 100% roll the dice with Hart. Low risk move. Sign him let him play in the ahl to find his game. If he does, then you trade same or vlader. More likely sam as he may have more value as cheaper. Teams also need backup goalies.

If he can’t back to nhl level then no harm done.

man, for a guy who hates this team, you sure are here every day.

you say others suck the flyers off, but I guess you like getting bent over by them on a daily basis.

same time tomorrow?

sit ubu sit.

September 15, 2025 at 11:03 am #27628

black_francis
Participant

sit ubu sit.

Don’t forget to punch in, superfan

September 15, 2025 at 11:16 am #27630

yes its me 2050
Participant

black_francis wrote:

sit ubu sit.

Don’t forget to punch in, superfan

good doggie
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