The Blue Jackets added a third NHL goaltender to the roster on Sunday, acquiring Ivan Fedotov from the Philadelphia Flyers.
This one is a little bit surprising. Don Waddell was vocal over the last few weeks about wanting to acquire another goalie, but this isn't the kind of deal we might have anticipated. At a glance, Fedotov doesn't seem like a guy that will be able to play in the AHL this year, which seemed to be the need.
He's signed through this season at a hefty cap hit of $3.275 million; however he's owed just $700k in actual dollars. The Jackets are making an extremely low risk buy here, giving up just a 6th round pick in exchange for a guy who clearly needed a change of scenery.
At 6'7" and 214 pounds, Fedotov is one of the largest goalies in the NHL. One would think that with that kind of size, pucks would just hit him in goal. But that hasn't been the case since coming over from Russia two years ago.
He has a paltry .874% save percentage and 3.29 goals against average in 29 games for the Flyers over the last two seasons, with a 6-14-0 record. From a strictly NHL experience perspective, this does not look good.
But, it's worth noting that he has had success at other levels. He put up stellar numbers in the KHL and also starred for Russia at the 2022 Olympic Games. His performance there thrust him into conversation as one of the top goalie prospects in hockey. It just hasn't worked out in the NHL, yet.
Clearly, there is some untapped potential in this player. Though, at 28 years old, it seems like it's now or never. He will either break through and make a name for himself this year, or this trade will fizzle out and become a distant memory for the Jackets.
If he doesn't look good in camp, they can try to pass him through waivers and send him to the Cleveland Monsters. With his AAV compared against his production, odds are he would clear. If another team did claim him, it's not the end of the world. It's a 6th round pick, after all.
But, is he really the guy to play in the role that will be vacated by Jet Greaves, as he makes the NHL roster full-time? Or, is this a precursor to some other news (injury or trade)? We will have to wait and see.