Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Carter Hart, who was charged with one count of sexual assault in the 2018 Hockey Canada incident on Jan. 30, is set to become a restricted free agent on July 1, meaning the Flyers must tender him a qualifying offer in order to retain his NHL rights.
The charge levied against Hart has not been proven in court, and the sensitivity and complexity of the situation have created a predicament in Philadelphia. Flyers general manager Danny Briere is still unsure of what he can or cannot do with Hart at this time.
“All of them on the Flyers, yes,” Briere said on Thursday when asked if he would be qualifying all of his pending RFAs. “Obviously, the one caveat to that is Carter Hart. We’re still waiting for guidance from the NHL on that.
“We haven’t received any guidance. . . We haven’t been told to do that yet. We’re still waiting for guidance from them as far as what we can do and what it is and how it works out.”
Hart, 25, was in the final year of a three-year, $11.94 million contract he signed with the Flyers on Aug. 9, 2021, and in order to qualify Hart and retain his rights, the Flyers would have to make a qualifying offer of $4.479 million.
The six-year NHL veteran would subsequently need to sign his qualifying offer by 5 p.m. on Dec. 1 in order to be eligible to play for the Flyers next season. Further to that point, Hart’s qualifying offer would expire on July 15 unless the Flyers extend that deadline.
Before taking a personal leave of absence on Jan. 23, Hart appeared in 26 games for the Flyers this season, compiling a 12-9-3 record, a 2.80 GAA, a .906 save percentage, and one shutout.
With Hart likely out of the conversation until the Hockey Canada trial takes place, the Flyers plan to lean on a goaltending of tandem of Sam Ersson and Ivan Fedotov next season.
