It was reported today that the Philadelphia Flyers are trading goalie Ivan Fedotov to the Columbus Blue Jackets, per Elliotte Friedman. The Flyers will receive a 2026 sixth-round pick from Columbus and are not retaining any of Fedotov's contract as well.
While this is a low-cost deal, it shows Philadelphia has a lot of trust in Kolosov for the upcoming season.
Fedotov, who stands at 6'8, backed up Sam Ersson for the majority of last season. Fedotov played in 26 games with 24 starts. The Russian goaltender had a 6-13-4 record. His save percentage was .880% which was an improvement from the season prior at .811%.
At the end of the season pressers Fedotov stated that he wanted to get better and potentially be the starter. While that is no longer an option in Philadelphia, Fedotov joins a Blue Jackets team where he'll battle to backup Elvis Merzlikins, who posted a .892% save-percentage in 53 games.
Jet Greaves is the current #2 and has looked exceptional at times, especially at the AHL level. It's a very different dynamic for Fedotov, but Philadelphia is able to recoup some late-round draft capital in exchange for a player who was entering the final year of his contract. Being able to get something before he potentially departs in free agency was a smart decision if he wasn't deemed a part of those long-term plans.
