Confirmed Signing with Link: [PHI] G Ivan Fedotov signs extension with the Flyers (2 years, $3.25M AAV)

[The Gr8 Dane]

They were supposed to be rebuilding this year and we all saw how that turned out. It turned out like the previous 15 seasons where the are stuck in the suck zone. They don't know how to rebuild

Yeah trust me as a habs fans I understand lol. We only bit the bullet recently and it was long overdue. At least you guys got a somewhat entertaining season out of it

 

[WarriorofTime]

Uh, the alternative was to sign a cheap market-rate backup and run that guy 50/50 with Ersson while continuing to develop their wealth of excellent goalie prospects. They don't need to spend money in net or stopgap anything if they're rebuilding.

Now, that said, it is only two years and since they're ostensibly rebuilding, who cares. But they just operate like a team that has no idea what their plan is at any given moment. Bizarre.

This is not complicated. They had to sign him to ELC per cba but there was likely always a handshake deal for this contract. They are essentially signing him as a KHL free agent because he could re-up in the KHL if he wanted to or a different team in the nhl could have signed him based on his khl pedigree for him on July 1st . I’m not sure why people are so confused here.

 

[Rich Nixon]

Yeah trust me as a habs fans I understand lol. We only bit the bullet recently and it was long overdue. At least you guys got a somewhat entertaining season out of it

I dunno, the Habs last somewhat-entertaining season was a loss in the Stanley Cup Finals. A 38-win non-playoff season doesn't really get the blood pumpin'.

 

[Rich Nixon]

This is not complicated. They had to sign him to ELC per cba but there was likely always a handshake deal for this contract. They are essentially signing him as a KHL free agent because he could re-up in the KHL if he wanted to. I’m not sure why people are so confused here.

Where to start?

What makes it confusing, from a close follower of Flyerdom, is that they just torched a relationship and were forced to trade their second-best prospect because they were unwilling to honor a handshake—in that case, burning a year of an ELC.

Now, that handshake was made by the previous GM and would have been reneged by the current one. But if you're implying that this deal was also part of a handshake at the time of Fedotov's ELC signing, well then, the previous GM is the one who would have made that, too.

This is why I say they operate like they have no plan. They boss up and scorn a 19-year-old potential first-line forward but honor their blood oath to a 27-year-old backup goalie?

 

[WarriorofTime]

Where to start?

What makes it confusing, from a close follower of Flyerdom, is that they just torched a relationship and were forced to trade their second-best prospect because they were unwilling to honor a handshake—in that case, burning a year of an ELC.

Now, that handshake was made by the previous GM and would have been reneged by the current one. But if you're implying that this deal was also part of a handshake at the time of Fedotov's ELC signing, well then, the previous GM is the one who would have made that, too.

This is why I say they operate like they have no plan. They boss up and scorn a 19-year-old potential first-line forward but honor their blood oath to a 27-year-old backup goalie?

What does Gauthier have to do with Fedotov? One can be right, one can be wrong. They can both be wrong but they are separate situations.

 

[Rich Nixon]

What does Gauthier have to do with Fedotov? One can be right, one can be wrong. They can both be wrong but they are separate situations.

Right, but you need to evaluate moves in relation to each other if you're trying to understand the context. And if you're here talking "well they had to do it because they/their previous GM agreed to do it" re: an older goalie, then what the f*** was the calculus that they didn't also need to do it for their 5th overall pick?

They're separate situations. But when looked at together, they tell a very bizarre story.

 

[Skinnyjimmy08]

WTF?

this HAS to be a typo

MAYBE 3.25 total for 2 years?.. even that seems like way too much though

 

[WarriorofTime]

Right, but you need to evaluate moves in relation to each other if you're trying to understand the context. And if you're here talking "well they had to do it because they/their previous GM agreed to do it" re: an older goalie, then what the f*** was the calculus that they didn't also need to do it for their 5th overall pick?

They're separate situations. But when looked at together, they tell a very bizarre story.

I didn’t say they had to do anything out of honor or whatever. I’m saying one month ago, when he came over, they made this understanding and they didn’t change their mind one month later. Had he come over when originally intended, he would have been a 10.2(c) RFA and this contract would probably be lower because they’re only bidding against khl teams and not a pending July 1st NHL Unrestricted Free Agency.

 

[BKarchitect]

Before his "lost" 22-23 season, he probably was the most highly regarded domestic goalie in the KHL, he started all the games for the '22 Silver-medal winning ROC squad.

That said, he didn't play for a year and then put up decent but nothing special numbers and a losing record in the regular season and 1-4 playoff record for a sorely disappointing CSKA squad in the KHL this past season and then got crushed (small sample size on tanking team, granted) in his brief NHL stint.

I get that the Flyers are in no worry of a cap crunch the next few years, but this seems like a ton of blind faith for a guy you can't really say has "excelled given the circumstances" or "brings great veteran moxie and experience" or any of the other platitudes usually associated with tanking teams signing role players to larger than expected but short-term deals (ala the Blackhawks).

You really have to assume that the Flyers coaching staff and pro scouts just are absolutely enamored with his physical traits and think there is really, legitimately high NHL goalie upside here.

It's crazy that Ersson, who is very talented and despite some rough patches, has shown spurts of real NHL upside already in 63 NHL starts, got 2x$1.45 for the next two years but then Fedotov got over twice as much for the same period. Is this a sign that the Flyers are committed to running with Fedotov as the starter over Ersson next year, despite having barely seen anything?

 

[Rich Nixon]

I didn’t say they had to do anything out of honor or whatever. I’m saying one month ago, when he came over, they made this understanding and they didn’t change their mind one month later. Had he come over when originally intended, he would have been a 10.2(c) RFA and this contract would probably be lower because they’re only bidding against khl teams and not a pending July 1st NHL Unrestricted Free Agency.

That...also doesn't add up much. No other NHL team was going to pay him this. The prior handshake regarding this price range was seemingly what it took to get him over. So either they really believe the player is worth this money or they feel like they need to honor a prior commitment or both.

Again, it's not a big deal in terms of the contract itself—they can afford it and it isn't going to screw up their nonexistant Cup chances or anything. They're just a deeply bizarre team that makes contradictory decisions all the time.

 

[Hockeyfrilla]

Ersson is younger and (better?)

 

[WarriorofTime]

That...also doesn't add up much. No other NHL team was going to pay him this.

Maybe.. maybe not.

The prior handshake regarding this price range was seemingly what it took to get him over. So either they really believe the player is worth this money or they feel like they need to honor a prior commitment or both.

Probably both?

Again, it's not a big deal in terms of the contract itself—they can afford it and it isn't going to screw up their nonexistant Cup chances or anything. They're just a deeply bizarre team that makes contradictory decisions all the time.

I just don't see what not wanting to give Cutter Gauthier games and signing a large KHL goalie with a big KHL pedigree have to do with each other.

You can believe the Gauthier situation was mishandled and that signing Fedotov is stupid. That is fine, I just don't see a "contradiction", they're separate events.

 

[Kshahdoo]

The contract isn't that long, money isn't that big, and if he sucks he will help the team to tank untill Michkov comes. I don't think Phily has lost a lot if anything with this contract.

 

[BKarchitect]

The contract isn't that long, money isn't that big, and if he sucks he will help the team to tank untill Michkov comes. I don't think Phily has lost a lot if anything with this contract.

I don’t think anybody thinks this contract “cripples” the Flyers. It’s just pretty odd, at least on the surface. Would anybody here, even Flyers fans, figured this guy would get anything more than the Ersson “prove it” deal?

 

[Rich Nixon]

Maybe.. maybe not.

Probably both?

I just don't see what not wanting to give Cutter Gauthier games and signing a large KHL goalie with a big KHL pedigree have to do with each other.

You can believe the Gauthier situation was mishandled and that signing Fedotov is stupid. That is fine, I just don't see a "contradiction", they're separate events.

I get what you're saying, but my point is that he most likely only demands and receives this money off a handshake deal made at some point prior to his arrival. Right, we're in agreement there? That's what most of the reporting indicates.

Gauthier as well was reported to have had a handshake in place with the franchise that they went back on. That's why the relationship soured and he demanded a trade.

So if that's the case, the contradiction to me is committing yourself to prior promises—whether made under the current of former GM—only in some cases. And in this case following through on a promise made to a much less valuable player a year after reneging on a handshake with a very very valuable one.

It's weird. Yes, they're separate situations. To me it just blows a hole in any "WELL THEY HAD TO THEY PROMISED!" defense of what looks like a strange signing. The cost/benefit is all wonky.

(I think they're just doing Fedotov a solid for his entire saga, by the way—as the prior management did with Lindblom post-cancer. Kind of like "no expectations, here's a few million Comcast dollars for your troubles.")

 

[Poppy Whoa Sonnet]

Baffling contract in a vaccum but the money doesn't matter really, and if it was agreed to ahead of time it's good to do right by the player. The key question really is "is this guy NHL caliber?" If he's not he'll be sent down to the AHL and Philly will have another dead cap hit on their books.

 

[Curufinwe]

The contract is fine... if Fedotov is good in the NHL.

That's a 6 foot 7 inch IF

 

[Jared Dunn]

I guess the upside is there but who do they think they were competing with on this signing?

 

[KevinFinnerty]

$1 Mil per game goalie

 

[WarriorofTime]

I get what you're saying, but my point is that he most likely only demands and receives this money off a handshake deal made at some point prior to his arrival. Right, we're in agreement there? That's what most of the reporting indicates.

Gauthier as well was reported to have had a handshake in place with the franchise that they went back on. That's why the relationship soured and he demanded a trade.

So if that's the case, the contradiction to me is committing yourself to prior promises—whether made under the current of former GM—only in some cases. And in this case following through on a promise made to a much less valuable player a year after reneging on a handshake with a very very valuable one.

It's weird. Yes, they're separate situations. To me it just blows a hole in any "WELL THEY HAD TO THEY PROMISED!" defense of what looks like a strange signing. The cost/benefit is all wonky.

(I think they're just doing Fedotov a solid for his entire saga, by the way—as the prior management did with Lindblom post-cancer. Kind of like "no expectations, here's a few million Comcast dollars for your troubles.")

I'm saying I think the relevant time for the "handshake" was one month ago, when he and CSKA terminated his KHL deal and he came over for some late season scraps. Not necessarily at the time of the original contract, which would have been 1 full season in 2022-23 followed by being a 10.2(c) RFA. I don't think you handshake based on a full year out, but you do handshake based on 1 month out.

 

[Rich Nixon]

I'm saying I think the relevant time for the "handshake" was one month ago, when he and CSKA terminated his KHL deal and he came over for some late season scraps. Not necessarily at the time of the original contract, which would have been 1 full season in 2022-23 followed by being a 10.2(c) RFA. I don't think you handshake based on a full year out, but you do handshake based on 1 month out.

Correct. We have the same basic understanding and you're looking at all the things in isolation, when I'm trying to make sense of the bigger picture, none of which adds up.

To me they make that commitment to Fedotov because they wanted to get him over ASAP—they were in the playoff hunt but lost one goalie to criminal proceedings and toasted the other by overplaying him.

Yes, they wanted him over anyway; yes, they might have had faith in the player overall. But they put him in a real live NHL game after one practice, having just completed an entire KHL season and having been in North America for 5 days at that point. So I see a very desperate, short-sighted move that they were willing to pay out $6.5m in future money to get done.

They signed this contract today because they promised it prior in hopes of salvaging a season that didn't need salvaging. But prior, when also asked for substantial future contract concessions (the long-term financial implications of losing an ELC year on a high pick) by a much-younger and higher-value player, they balked. That doesn't make sense to me, and it's why I say they have no real plan.

Just my puzzled interpretation, but Briere is building a big library of headscratchers already.

 

[ValeriKamensky]

To give goaltender, who spent year in Soviet army, who was outside top20 among KHL starting goalies in terms of Sv%, who seems too slow even for old day hockey, 3+ M per year?
This organization is literally joke. Sell the team and relocate them to Moscow.

 

[herzausstein]

Maybe im looking at his KHL stats wrong but... he was around 30th in SV% and 17th in GAA. Nothing really jumping out as earth shattering. Just seems like alot for someone that hasnt proven anything...

Id be pretty irratated if i was Ersson. Guess theyre planning on Hart disappearing

 

[Brodeur]

Seems a little expensive but that's just the price to get him to come over. Nikita Gusev signed his ELC with Vegas and got in a handful of practices without ever suiting up in a game. Vegas tried to re-sign him but his contract demands were too high. They'd trade him to the Devils who gave him 4.5 mil AAV to mostly unsexy results (Marcus Johansson was making that sort of money at the time). New Jersey may be in a similar boat next offseason with Arseny Gritsyuk.

Off the top of my head, a couple older Europeans who weren't limited to ELCs: Vadim Shipachyov (2 x 4.5) and Evgeni Medvedev (1 x 3). It was an annual thing for Ilya Nikulin (Atlanta's 2000 2nd rounder) to tease coming over to North America but it never seemed to make financial sense for him. It's kinda funny that CapFriendly still has Nikulin on Winnipeg's reserve list even though he seemingly retired in 2019.

 

[SEALBound]

Jesus...what...the...f***...?

$3.25mil after 3 games with a 4.95 GAA and 0.811 sv%?