Just 11 days and two preseason appearances after being acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers, Ivan Fedotov has been placed on waivers by the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Take all of that talk about every player having a chance to make the roster, ball it up, and throw it into the garbage. It's obvious that this decision was made before Don Waddell even pulled the trigger on the trade.
Allow me to tell it like it is: Ivan Fedotov deserved a better opportunity. At the very least, he deserved more time to showcase himself to the decision making brass in Columbus, based on his two preseason games.
We broke the goaltending situation down in depth just the other day. Of the three guys seemingly jockeying for a job in the crease for the Blue Jackets this fall, none had been busier than Fedotov, who stopped 38 of 40 shots in two preseason appearances.
And, he looked pretty good in the process. Arguably just as good as Jet Greaves, the guy we're rallying around to be this team's opening night starter.
We thought that Fedotov's strong play could be a sign of a rebounding career, one that was very promising just a couple of years ago. Instead, the team opted to make him one of the first players sent to the Cleveland Monsters.
Timing isn't accidental here. The Utah Mammoth just sent one of their goaltenders (Connor Ingram) through waivers, and he cleared to be sent down. Fedotov counts as a larger cap hit, so the team figures it's a safe time to pass him through as well.
Not only did we barely get a chance to evaluate the big Russian - we haven't really seen enough of Elvis Merzlikins to make an informed decision in goal, either. Which is very confusing, because the sample size we fans have to work with is not a pleasant one over the last few years.
It's now fully apparent that the team will prance into the season with Greaves and Merzlikins tending the pipes, for better or worse.
As fate may have it, we probably have not seen the last of Ivan in the Union Blue. Inevitably, someone will get injured or simply need a break. At that point, I hope he comes in and makes it impossible to send him back down.
However, if the goal is to award jobs based on merit and not the contracts in place, I have to ask: What are we doing here, exactly?
Ivan Fedotov deserved more time.
I don't even think anyone can debate that the two best goaltenders so far this preseason have been Jet Greaves and Ivan Fedotov. Maybe more time could have helped us feel better about things. Maybe not.
I'm fascinated to see how this all pans out over the course of this season.