Ivan Fedotov looked strong in NHL debut with Philadelphia Flyers

It might not have ended the way the team wanted, but there was plenty of optimism coming out of the Philadelphia Flyers’ 4-3 loss to the New York Islanders on Monday night.

After a long and drawn-out saga, Russian netminder Ivan Fedotov made his debut with the Flyers in relief for Samuel Ersson. Along with tying the record as the tallest goaltender in NHL history, Fedotov looked pretty good, even in the losing effort. The former CSKA Moscow standout gave up two goals on 21 shots.

For a guy who had to wait much longer than expected to make his first appearance in the NHL, Fedotov hopes he can make an impact with the team. The 27-year-old was originally supposed to come to Philadelphia prior to the 2022-23 season after signing a contract with the team, but was detained in Russia for allegedly attempting to evade military service.

On Tuesday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Frank Seravalli and Tyler Yaremchuk break down Fedotov’s performance against the Islanders and look back on how long it took for him to get to the United States.

Tyler Yaremchuk: [Head coach John Tortorella] started his presser by saying, “One guy played, the goalie.” That goalie was Ivan Fedotov, who looked pretty good.

Frank Seravalli: Humungous, first opportunity that he sees in the NHL is a Matt Barzal breakaway. Big, big guy, tied for the tallest goalie in NHL history. Large man, make his NHL debut, at long last. Even as this was in the works over the last couple of weeks getting him over here…couldn’t really breathe any sigh of relief until someone picked him up at the airport and confirmed that he was on American soil.

You can watch the full segment, and the entire episode here…