Ivan Fedotov has been patient before, waiting for his chance to play in the NHL.
In July 2022, not even two months after signing his entry-level contract with the Flyers, the 6-foot-7 goalie was suddenly detained for allegedly evading military service in his home country of Russia. He was sent to a remote military base in northern Russia to fulfill his required military duty, never playing hockey that 2022-23 season.
Now that will teach patience.
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"He has gone through a lot, I respect that about him," head coach John Tortorella said Tuesday after practice. "Before he even got here, some of the stuff he had to go through."
The 28-year-old is trying to lean on patience now in the Flyers' goaltending picture. He's the odd man out among the three goalies on the roster and could be on the verge of heading to AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley.
"I have to be patient," Fedotov said. "Tough situation for me, I understand that. Keep working, enjoy every day. Find the times, the opportunity, work hard, get some time in net.
"I want to be honest, it's not easy. But I'm good. I have extra time for some specific work, concentrate more on some details. ... Just be ready for my chance, my opportunity. That's all I can control."
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After giving up 14 goals in his first three starts of the season and losing his backup job, Fedotov stabilized, going 4-1-1 with a 2.74 goals-against average and .901 save percentage over his last seven starts. But with Samuel Ersson healthy again, Aleksei Kolosov, a young and athletic prospect, was named his backup.
Before practice Tuesday, Tortorella was seen having what looked like a positive, reinforcing conversation with Fedotov, who hasn't played in 12 days.
"It's not a great spot to be in, but it is what it is; I haven't changed my decision on that stuff there," the head coach said. "But you never know what happens. He continues to do his stuff here and has handled himself really well."
After returning to the sport last season and getting the chance to join the Flyers in late March, Fedotov seems to be keeping everything in perspective.
"Two tough years," he said. "Finally I came to here, but it's only one net, three goalies. That's it. We'll see what happens in the future. Right now, I just have patience. After two years, I learned how to be patient. I will keep myself sharp."
Fedotov has surrendered four or more goals in six of his 10 starts. He was pulled from his last outing Dec. 5 after giving up a pair of goals in the first period.
"I'm sure he has been through a lot over the last couple of years to get here," Sean Couturier said. "Let's not forget, I think it's never easy for a European goalie to come here and adjust to the North American ice surface. So I think he's still kind of adapting, adjusting and probably learning the angles and all of that stuff. He has been better, improving since he has gotten here."
Entering Tuesday, the Flyers were tied for the fourth-fewest shots allowed per game since Nov. 23. They've yielded 25.3 over that stretch, earning at least a point in eight of their 11 games (6-3-2).
"We've tightened things up," Scott Laughton said. "We need to continue to do that with our structure and give our goalies a chance to see the puck and stop it. We'll continue to work at that."
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