Tortorella says Fedotov still has to prove himself for Flyers
If the seven goals allowed attributed to Ivan Fedotov didn’t exactly boost his confidence, Flyers coach John Tortorella didn’t mince words regarding the Flyers netminder. When asked if Fedotov still neded to prove himself as an NHL keeper, Tortorella’s facial expression was almost priceless. “Oh yeah, I mean shit yeah!” Tortorella exclaimed, as if stating the obvious.
In Sunday’s post-game media scrum following a 7-4 loss to Chicago, Tortorella was asked if Fedotov needed to prove himself down the stretch to prove he’s a capable if not reliable NHL backup. “Sloppy game, sloppy goalies,” Tortorella said when describing the contest, citing not just Fedotov but Chicago goaltender Spencer Knight as well. “Their power play works, our doesn’t, that’s the story of the game. I thought both teams were really sloppy. The goaltending was shaky all through, but their power play works, ours doesn’t.”
When asked if he considered replacing Fedotov with Sam Ersson like he did Saturday afternoon against Dallas, Tortorella admitted he did but “I just didn’t, I didn’t want to.” It’s probably safe to suggest Fedotov will not see a start when Philadelphia play Toronto on Tuesday night. It also is safe to believe Sam Ersson should be around when the 2025-26 season begins but the jury is still out on Fedotov and Aleksei Kolosov, this despite both Fedotov and Kolosov having another year left on their respective contracts.
The Flyers’ leading goaltender, Ersson, sits 68th in save percentage among all NHL goaltenders who have seen action this year (no minimum). Fedotov sits 70th and Kolosov is 83rd. Of course if Tortorella remains as head coach next season it’s almost a certainty he’ll be trying to get Flyers general manager Danny Briere to address the issue, whether through a trade. Or going a more practical route and getting an aging keeper on a cheap one-year deal. Regardless, it’s almost a guarantee you won’t see these same trio of Flyers goaltenders when the 2025-26 season commences....
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