The Continental Hockey League (KHL) first approved the goalkeeper's contract Ivan Fedotov with CSKA, and then the Russian Hockey Federation (FHR) called on the league to comply with the rules developed in the National Hockey League (NHL) and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). Overseas at the same time they assure that Fedotov's contract with CSKA violates the agreement with Philadelphia. Scandal can no longer be avoided, and relations between the two strongest leagues in the world risk to deteriorate sharply for years to come.
The dark history of the contract and service in the Navy began more than a year ago. Fedotov, who won the Gagarin Cup with CSKA, was about to leave for the Philadelphia Flyers. His contract with the Army Men expired on June 30, 2022. Soon the goalkeeper was detained by employees of the military registration and enlistment office in St. Petersburg and sent to the unit for military service.
There is no ideal way out of the situation and could not be. In “Philadelphia” expressed strong concern. However, they announced their readiness to wait for the goalkeeper until the end of the service. Ivan passed it at the Naval Academy of St. Petersburg. Throughout the entire period, the goalkeeper trained and played for the Navy team.
It is rather difficult to assess the level of local hockey. Obviously, it is significantly lower than the KHL and NHL. What form Fedotov is in now is a mystery even to himself. Immediately after the end of the service, the Russian went on vacation to Dubai. Some thought that there Ivan could apply for an American visa.
However, a little later it became known about a new two-year contract with CSKA. In the KHL, they paused, and then they registered the agreement. The NHL reacted quickly and noted that the situation is contrary to the obligations to the Flyers.
Will our hockey be thrown into chaos because of CSKA? The memorandum of understanding between the leagues has been in effect since 2010 and has been regularly renewed. In March 2022, the NHL suspended it. The press service of the KHL said that the signed agreement does not exist at all. However, the parties respect each other's contracts.
«
“There is no physically signed memorandum between the leagues, while both sides continue to partner and respect each other's contracts, exchange e-mails on work issues and be guided by its norms in work. At the same time, the KHL believes that the situation with Ivan Fedotov does not fall under the memorandum, since the player does not have a signed valid contract with the NHL club for the 2023/24 season in the sense that is laid down in the document,» the statement says.
It turns out some kind of gray zone, which cannot be legally substantiated either in the KHL or in the NHL. All this threatens to become a grandiose scandal. This has not happened, perhaps, since the escape of Alexander Radulov from Nashville to Salavat Yulaev. Or even earlier, when our players were just starting to look for ways to leave for the NHL on the border of the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Today, new inputs came from the Russian Ice Hockey Federation (FHR), which will insist on strict adherence to the KHL rules for international transfers in the situation with Fedotov's contract.
«The FHR assesses the situation as ambiguous, requiring a detailed analysis and legal resolution, considers it necessary to obtain official information from the NHL about Fedotov's contractual status — and only after consultations with the IIHF make a decision on the possibility of the hockey player's participation in the KHL championship. The FHR, as a member of the IIHF, will insist on the KHL’s strict adherence to the IIHF international transfer rules, since violation of the regulations and rules can lead to negative consequences for Russian hockey,” the FHR said in a statement.
Thus, one contract between CSKA and Fedotov risks plunging our entire hockey into chaos. If FHR is already openly hinting at this, then it is a serious matter. The desire of one particular club to retain a talented goaltender could destroy the future of a large number of other talented Russian hockey players. Whether it's worth it is a big question to be answered by the leadership of the army club.
At the same time, the nightmare and the final severance of relations between the NHL, IIHF and KHL can still be avoided. Probably, a lot will become clear during the CSKA press conference on July 17th. The announcement announced the performance of Ivan Fedotov himself. Since the end of his military service, the player has limited himself to a couple of words on social networks that have not brought any certainty. But we don't even know if he wants to go to Philadelphia or intends to stay in CSKA.
The opinion of the author may not coincide with the position of the editors