Heading into the start of training camp, the Blue Jackets have added depth to their goaltending in a trade with the Philadelphia Flyers.
Towering goalie Ivan Fedotov, 28, was acquired Sept. 14 for the Blue Jackets’ 2026 sixth-round draft pick.
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More: Columbus Blue Jackets trade Daniil Tarasov to Florida Panthers for fifth-round pick
Fedotov, listed at 6 feet 7, has played 29 NHL games over two years with the Flyers, including 26 last season (2024-25) while posting a 6-13-4 record with a 3.15 goals-against average and .880 save percentage. Those are unsavory numbers, but Blue Jackets president/general Manager Don Waddell said the intent in acquiring Fedotov was merely adding goaltending depth.
“Ivan has great size, is athletic for a big goaltender and will provide our club with additional depth at the position,” Blue Jackets president/general manager Don Waddell said in a statement. “That has been a priority for us during the offseason and this trade accomplishes that.”
Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Kirill Marchenko (86) scores the game-winning goal past Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Ivan Fedotov (82) during the shootout in the NHL hockey game at Nationwide Arena in Columbus on Jan. 14, 2025. The Blue Jackets won 3-2.
Fedotov will likely get a closer look for the NHL backup role behind Elvis Merzlikins in training camp, but Jet Greaves appears to have an inside track for that role. Should it play out that way, Fedotov would start the season with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters on a contract with one year left at a guaranteed $3.275 million.
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He’ll become an unrestricted free agent July 1, 2026 if not re-signed.
The structuring of the two-year contract Fedotov signed with the Flyers on April 23, 2024 is interesting to note. It includes a base salary of $775,000 per season plus two $2.5 million signing bonus payments for a total salary-cap charge of $3.275 million per season. If the Flyers already paid this season’s bonus July 1, the Blue Jackets are only on the hook to pay his remaining base salary.
Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Ivan Fedotov (82) stops a shot from Columbus Blue Jackets left wing Dmitri Voronkov (10) with help from Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Cam York (8) during the second period of the NHL hockey game at Nationwide Arena in Columbus on Jan. 14, 2025.
That’s important to remember should Fedotov spend the majority of this season in Cleveland. It was previously reported in Philadelphia that Fedotov is intent on making his career work in North America and doesn’t prefer a return to the Kontinental Hockey League in Russia.
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The Flyers selected Fedotov in 2015 as a seventh-round pick (188th overall). He spent eight of the next nine seasons playing in Russia’s top two leagues, including two standout years with CSKA Moscow in 2021-22 and 2023-24. He missed the 2022-23 season fulfilling an obligation to serve in the Russian military, and returned to the KHL the following year to help CSKA Moscow win the league’s Gagarin Cup championship with a 16-6-0 record, 1.85 GAA and .937 save percentage in the playoffs.
Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Ivan Fedotov (82) stops a shot from Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Damon Severson (78) during the third period of the NHL hockey game at Nationwide Arena in Columbus on Jan. 14, 2025. The Blue Jackets won 3-2 in a shootout.
The addition replaces the departure of 6-5 goalie Daniil Tarasov, who was traded to the Florida Panthers prior to the 2025 NHL Draft for a 2025 fifth-round pick. Despite trading their own sixth-round pick in 2026 for Fedotov, the Blue Jackets still have a pick in that round acquired Feb. 22, 2024 in a trade that sent forward Emil Bemstrom to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Blue Jackets start their first week of training camp with player medical testing and evaluations before on-ice work begins Sept. 18.
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Dispatch Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com and @BrianHedger.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets add goalie Ivan Fedotov in trade with Philadelphia Flyers