The Capitals captain discussed the ongoing situation with Fedotov, who remains in Russia despite the IIHF ruling that his contract with the Flyers is valid.
Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin spoke about goaltender Ivan Fedotov, who is currently still in Russia with the KHL's CSKA Moscow defying the IIHF ruling that he should be playing for the Philadelphia Flyers.
Ovechkin offered his well-wishes to Fedotov, who remains in a challenging situation overseas and remains with CKSA at this time.
"God willing, Ivan will be fine," Ovechkin told RIA Novosti, per Yandex and DeepL translations. "We'll be sick and worried. We'll see."
The IIHF had ruled earlier in the month that Fedotov's entry-level contract with the Flyers, which he signed in 2022, was valid, and he was given two weeks to either make his way to Philadelphia — opening the door for him to begin his NHL career like he tried to do a year ago — or obtain a release. However, he did neither, and was given a fourh-month suspension on playing in official national and international games during playing periods, starting with CSKA's first game on Sept. 1 and ending on Dec. 31.
Despite the ruling, Fedotov remained in Russia and was in net for CKSA in its KHL season opener against Ak Bars on Friday. The IIHF announced new sanctions and made a statement following the club's defiance of its ruling.
For Fedotov, he remains in a strange position that he has been in since putting pen to paper last year. After signing his NHL ELC and making it clear he would be leaving, he was detained outside of a St. Petersburg ice rink last July for allegedly trying to evade his required military service. He was taken to a military enlistment office, where he reportedly fell ill. His lawyer also alleged that he was injected with foreign substances.
Following his hospitalization, Fedotov was sent to an Arctic Naval Base. He returned to hockey, though, after signing a new deal with CSKA, a team with close ties to the Russian military.