The Philadelphia Flyers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers] and the Columbus Blue Jackets [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/columbus-blue-jackets] agreed to a trade that saw Ivan Fedotov move to the Blue Jackets in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round pick, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported on Sunday [https://x.com/friedgehnic/status/1967216352944599135?s=46]. Fedotov is entering the final year of a two-year contract that carries a $3.275-million cap hit. This trade allows the Flyers to free up some space on the goaltending chart, which can still be considered overloaded for them. Who is the best backup goalie in the NHL? With Fedotov on the move, Philadelphia now have four goalies on the roster for the 2025-26 campaign. Among those netminders are Dan Vladar, Aleksei Kolosov, Samuel Ersson and Carson Bjarnason. As for the Blue Jackets, adding the Finnish goalie creates a bit of a goaltending battle in itself. Columbus was set to go into the new season with Jet Greaves and Elvis Merzlikins as their tandem. However, adding Fedotov to the mix introduces some uncertainty. Fedotov, 28, has played parts of two seasons in the NHL in the last two years. He entered the league with three games for Philadelphia during the 2023-24 season. In that span, he recorded a 4.95 goals-against average and an .811 save percentage. Last season, he made 26 appearances, earning a 6-13-4 record and registering a 3.15 GAA and a .880 SP. Ivan Fedotov (David Banks-Imagn Images) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/d1bcbbf9-249d-4a7f-b6aa-eb906149f81e.jpeg] Ivan Fedotov (David Banks-Imagn Images) Before these two years in The Show, Fedotov spent several years in Europe [https://thehockeynews.com/international], specifically in the KHL. In fact, since Philadelphia drafted him in the seventh round in 2015, he featured in six KHL seasons and represented three different teams along the way. He won a KHL championship with CSKA Moscow in 2021-22. For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.
