Fedotov was detained by the Russian police the year before last July, five months following the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, because, according to the prosecutor’s office, he was evading military service. Although he signed a contract with Philadelphia following a successful season in the KHL and was supposed to go overseas, he was sent to the Arctic Circle.
After returning from the Navy, he signed with CSKA Moscow, who he helped win the Gagarin Cup before enlisting. However, the IIHF banned the 2022 Beijing Olympic silver medalist from catching last August for violating his contract with Philadelphia. The 27-year-old goalkeeper still played 49 games in the KHL, including the playoffs.
At the end of March, CSKA announced that it had terminated Fedotov’s contract. The goalkeeper then immediately joined the Philadelphia team, for which he still managed to play in three NHL games. In April, the Finnish native agreed to a two-year, $6.5 million contract with the Flyers.
