Carter Hart does not wish to re-join the Flyers when he becomes eligible to return to the NHL next month, Philadelphia general manager Danny Briere said.
The goaltender and four other hockey players were acquitted on sexual assault charges in Canada earlier this year, and the NHL ruled that they can sign contracts on Oct. 15, begin conditioning on Nov. 15 and appear in a game on Dec. 1.
Hart, Dillon Dube, Cal Foote, Michael McLeod and Alex Formenton surrendered to police in London, Ont., in January 2024 to face charges in the Hockey Canada case. Hart was the Flyers’ No. 1 goaltender at the time, and the team did not make a qualifying offer at the end of that season, making him a free agent.
But Hart made clear through his agent that he does not want a Philadelphia reunion.
“The only comment I’ll make on that is that his representative, Judd Moldaver, has reached out and kind of told us that in light of everything that happened in the last year and a half with Carter, they felt, and Carter felt, that it was better for them to look for a fresh start,” Briere told reporters Tuesday. “So that’s where it’s at, and it’s the only comment I’m gonna make on it.”
Hart, 27, played parts of six seasons with the Flyers, who drafted him in the second round in 2016. He has gone 96-94-29 for his career with a .906 save percentage and a 2.94 goals-against average.
Samuel Ersson, Dan Vladar and Aleksei Kolosov are the goalies with NHL experience in the Flyers’ system. They traded goaltender Ivan Fedotov to the Columbus Blue Jackets earlier this week.
All five of the players in the Hockey Canada case were members of the 2018 World Junior hockey team. They were charged with sexual assault in connection with an incident in a London, Ontario, hotel in June 2018.
After an earlier mistrial and two dismissed juries, Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia of the Ontario Court of Justice said she didn’t find the complainant’s evidence “credible or reliable” on July 24.
