As the Cleveland Monsters continue to run through the AHL playoff gauntlet, they will now have to do so with one less goaltender. The Athletic's Aaron Portzline reported today that Ivan Fedotov was heading home to Russia with an undisclosed injury.
Told goaltender Ivan Fedotov has left AHL Cleveland and returned to Russia with an undisclosed injury.
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) May 21, 2026
He had moments with @monstershockey this season, but lost his way and lost the job to Zach Sawchenko.
Fedotov, 29, was 23-16-6 with an .887 save %. He’s UFA on July 1.#CBJ
Fedotov's time with the organization can only be labelled as a disappointment. He was acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers just before the season, in exchange for a 6th round draft pick. Now, 8 months later, he leaves having never played a minute in Columbus.
Of course, that was never really the plan, anyhow. Ivan was acquired to add depth to the system, most likely to serve as the starting goaltender for the Cleveland Monsters. With a rookie stepping into the NHL and their only veteran having a history of injury troubles; the plan was to have Fedotov only filling in when the Blue Jackets needed to call upon him.
That never happened this year. Jet Greaves was outstanding, snatching the starting job full-time from Elvis Merzlikins and finishing the season as one of the best goalies in the entire league. Meanwhile, Merzlikins stayed healthy for the entire year, and though he had his usual ups and downs; he was serviceable enough.
Instead, Fedotov took on the lion's share of ice time in Cleveland, despite his deteriorating play.
Eventually, Ivan Fedotov lost his job.
The best thing Ivan could have done this year, would have been playing his way up the lineup. Instead, he went in the complete opposite direction. In 47 games played with the Monsters, he posted a .887% save percentage-well below league average.
That was behind a team that was actually pretty good defensively. The Monsters allowed an average of just 24 shots on goal against in the games he played. His goals against average (2.87) was also subpar, and he finished the season with a 23-16-6 record (2 shutouts).
Things fell apart in the playoffs. He got into just one game, allowing 4 goals on 6 shots. That was the last time he dressed for the Monsters. Zach Sawchenko took on the starting role, posting a .932% save percentage in the playoffs so far. Meanwhile, rookie pro Evan Gardner has been serving as backup.
Whether there really is an injury here or not, we'll likely never know-unless Fedotov himself comes out and tells us. Either way, he heads home to Russia in the worst way possible. He played himself out of a job in Cleveland, and that's disappointing.
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