MAJOR | Philadelphia Flyers goaltender suspended by the IIHF
The International Ice Hockey Federation has come out with the findings of their investigation into the NHL and KHL contracts of Philadelphia Flyers prospect Ivan Fedotov.
Their results found that Ivan Fedotov has a valid NHL contract with the Philadelphia Flyers for the 2023-24 season and that he was in breach of that contract per Article II.4.1 of the IIHF International Transfer Regulations by signing a two-year deal with CSKA Moscow.
Fedotov has now been suspended by the IIHF from competing in Russia for CSKA Moscow or the National team for four months, starting on September 1st and running until December 31st.
- A four (4) month suspension on playing in official national and international games during playing periods. The suspension shall take effect on 1 September 2023 (first CSKA regular season game) and conclude on 31 December 2023." The IIHF said in a statement.
Their ruling on Fedotov means that the 26-year-old will likely be coming over to North America in September for training camp with the Flyers and could either play for the big club in Philadelphia or their AHL affiliate, Lehigh Valley.
The KHL hasn't fully commented on the ruling as of yet, only releasing a brief statement saying they'll need time to review the IIHF's findings.
In addition to Fedotov's suspension, the IIHF has also decided to impose sanctions on his KHL club, CSKA Moscow, which includes a one-year ban (August 11th, 2023 to August 10th, 2024) on international transfers.
It'll be interesting to see how this could affect other NHL prospects who are playing in Russia but will be looking to come over to North America in the coming years, including Matvei Michkov, another Philadelphia Flyers draftee. Michkov is under contract in Russia until 2026, which was reportedly a big deterrent to teams in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, before the Flyers took him seventh overall. Michkov has expressed his desire to play in the NHL and with the Flyers, but with how Russia has dealt with Ivan Fedotov, it could be a tricky situation and something to keep our eyes on in the coming years.
Source: IIHF
| POLL | ||
Do you think Ivan Fedotov will play in the NHL this season? | ||
| Yes | 88 | 18 % |
| No, probably in the AHL | 242 | 49.6 % |
| Not Sure | 101 | 20.7 % |
| See Results | 57 | 11.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
