New York Rangers Biggest Divisional Rivals Pull Off A Trade Within The Metropolitan Division
Photo credit: Madison Square Garden
The New York Rangers' Metropolitan Division rivals, the Columbus Blue Jackets, have linked up with the Philadelphia Flyers in a trade today. The Columbus Blue Jackets send a 6th-round pick for goaltender Ivan Fedotov, as Don Waddell and Daniel Briere completed the trade on Sunday.
This morning, the Columbus Blue Jackets acquired goaltender Ivan Fedotov for a sixth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft..
This move has shored up the team's crease, which has been leaky as of late, as the team traded Daniil Tarasov to the Florida Panthers, leaving only Elvis Merzlikins and Jet Greaves in the crease.
This could potentially lead to another trade depending on what Waddell's plans are for Elvis Merzlikins, but it could be a sign that they're adding to their depth elsewhere.
The #CBJ acquire goaltender Ivan Fedotov from #flyers for a 2026 sixth-round pick
Fedotov carries a $3.275M cap hit but is owed just $775,000 in actual salary this season
Incredibly low-cost bet for Columbus
Fedotov carries a $3.275M cap hit but is owed just $775,000 in actual salary this season
Incredibly low-cost bet for Columbus
This move was seen as a low-risk move for the Blue Jackets, as Ivan Fedotov has only played 29 NHL Games in his career. His underlying numbers aren't promising, with development being the obvious path, with a record of 3.29 GAA, 3-14-5 and a .874 save percentage.
The last time the Blue Jackets acquired a Russian goalie from the Flyers, they swept the Tampa Bay Lightning in a Cinderella run to the playoffs in 2019.
The Blue Jackets ended up making it to the 2nd-round of the playoffs, only to be dusted off by Bruce Cassidy's Boston Bruins in a definitive series that led to a trip to the 2019 Stanley Cup finals.
With the Flyers' acquisition of Daniel Vladar over the summer, there was a glut of netminders in Philadelphia.
Since Fedotov arrived in Philadelphia, he's struggled to stay relevant, letting players such as Samuel Ersson and Alexei Kolosov take control of the crease.
The former 188th overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft by the Flyers would make the jump in 2023-24 to North America after being released from his contract after an IIHF ruling declared the agreement with CSKA Moscow "Invalid".
Now, he'll help shore up the Blue Jackets' crease. Could he make them a formidable threat, like Sergei Bobrovsky did once before?
Previously on Blade of steel
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 14 | 33 ANSWERS New York Rangers Biggest Divisional Rivals Pull Off A Trade Within The Metropolitan Division Do you think the New York Rangers will have to contend with a better Columbus Blue Jackets team after this trade? | ||
| Yes | 17 | 51.5 % |
| No | 16 | 48.5 % |
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