By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 
The busy portion of the offseason is underway with the NHL Draft in two days. There is also a lot of other news and notes regarding the Flyers out there, so let’s dive in.
Update on Ivan Fedotov
Last Friday, reports from Russia indicated that goaltender Ivan Fedotov had been detained in Russia. Further reports stated that Fedotov had been hospitalized and now that he is in an undisclosed location. These reports are not confirmed.
Fedotov, who played for Moscow’s CSKA last season, was reportedly taken to the Russian military registration and enlistment office, according to a Euro Weekly News story. According to the story, Fedotov gave an interview in April stating he was joining the Flyers and would no longer be playing in Russia.
The 25-year-old goalie signed with the Flyers earlier this offseason and was expected to play in Philadelphia, but things have drastically changed now with these latest developments.
Flyers Hire Brad Shaw as Associate Coach
Since the hiring of John Tortorella, part of the offseason plan was putting assistant coaches on the bench with him. The team already announced that Darryl Williams would return as an assistant coach and Kim Dillabaugh will remain the goaltending coach, but that left two vacancies.
One of those vacancies has been filled, as the team announced they have hired Brad Shaw as an associate coach. Shaw served as an assistant coach for Columbus when Tortorella was the head coach there, so there is familiarity. Shaw will run the defense and is expected to also work with the penalty kill.
Report: Flyers In On DeBrincat
A big part of the draft is trade talk. Most of it is just rumors, but there can certainly be the foundation laid for bigger trades to come in the offseason or holdover conversations from the trade deadline.
One name that is popular on the market is Chicago Blackhawks forward Alex DeBrincat. The Flyers are reportedly involved in discussions to trade for the 24-year-old forward, who scored 41 goals last season.
It’s a question about whether the Flyers would be willing to part ways with the fifth overall pick on Thursday for DeBrincat, which would only be a portion of the package to get the skilled forward, but it’s a situation worth watching as the draft approaches.
Flyers Preseason Schedule Announced
On Tuesday, the Flyers announced their preseason schedule for the 2022-23 season. It is as follows:
- Saturday, Sept. 24 vs. Boston 7 PM
- Tuesday, Sept. 27 at Buffalo 7 PM
- Wednesday, Sept. 28 vs. Washington 7 PM
- Saturday, Oct. 1 at Boston 1 PM
- Sunday, Oct. 2 at NY Islanders 7 PM
- Tuesday, Oct. 4 vs. NY Islanders 7 PM
