Philadelphia Flyers’ prospect Ivan Fedotov arrested in Moscow for draft evasion

Ivan Fedotov, goaltender and prospect for the Philadelphia Flyers, has been arrested in Moscow for draft evasion, according to Slava Malamud.

Fedotov was accused of attempting to dodge the Russian army draft by signing with an NHL team, something his CSKA bosses did not like. Russian officials apparently met the goaltender at the exit of an arena in St. Petersburg and “invited him to go to the military registration and enlistment office,” according to a report in the Russian online newspaper Fontanka. His punishment for the crime will be going to the military, and possibly even to the ongoing war of Russia’s invasions of Ukraine.

Fedotov had recently signed a contract with the Flyers on May 7, 2022, agreeing on a one-year deal with a $925,000 cap hit. The team had originally drafted him in 2015 in the seventh round, and after several years in the KHL, Fedotov wanted to finally attempt to make it into the NHL.

Fedotov spent the 2021-22 KHL season with CSKA Moscow, also known as the Red Army team, where he played in 26 games and had a 14-10-2 record, a .919 save percentage, and two shutouts before a stellar performance in the Gagarin Cup playoffs, with a .937 save percentage as he helped lead CSKA to the championship. He also played well for the Russian Olympic team in Beijing in 2022, going 4-2 with two shutouts and a .943 save percentage.

At this moment, the Philadelphia Flyers have not commented on the situation. If Fedotov is unable to play for the Flyers in the 2022-23 season, they will need another NHL goalie to play next season, as Carter Hart is their only goalie with NHL experience signed. Martin Jones was the team’s backup goalie in the 2021-22 season, and is an unrestricted free agent coming off a one-year contract with a $2 million cap hit in a season that saw him go 12-18-3 with a .900 save percentage in 35 games with the Flyers.