Carter Hart's Future With Flyers Uncertain

As more information continues to come out about the players involved Hockey Canada lawsuit, the teams involved have big decisions to make.

Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports - Carter Hart's Future With Flyers Uncertain

The news shocked, angered, and confused Flyers fans everywhere.

On Jan. 23, Carter Hart, their "franchise goalie"—as he had been christened—was taking an indefinite leave of absence for "personal reasons." Then, just over a day later, news broke that five players associated with the Hockey Canada sexual assault lawsuit filed back in 2022 were being told to surrender to Ontario police. Hart's name had long been associated with the lawsuit, but neither the courts or the independent NHL investigation into the matter convicted or exonerated him of involvement.

Hart's leave of absence was just one of five players (four in the NHL, one in the Swiss League) announced in the midst of the Ontario police getting involved in the Hockey Canada lawsuit, leading to rampant speculation that the Flyers goalie was headed for serious legal trouble. As of this article's publication on Jan. 26, none of the players being asked to surrender have been named publicly.

However, it begs the question...what does Carter Hart's future with the Flyers look like (if he even still has one)?

The 2023-24 season is the last year of Hart's current contract, with a $3.9 million cap hit. Once this contract ends, he'll be a restricted free agent, with his qualifying offer in the summer being about $4.4 million. It's a fairly hefty price tag for a goalie who was repeatedly getting outshined by the much-cheaper Sam Ersson this season, one that many people speculated the Flyers wouldn't have been willing to pay. His name has popped up on quite a few lists of players fans think Danny Briere should be open to trading.

Now, of course, the leave of absence and potential legal issues must be factored in. If Hart is indeed found to be one of the players involved in the Hockey Canada sexual assault, his future with the Flyers—and in the NHL as a whole—would most likely cease to exist. Already, Michael McLeod and Cal Foote (two members of that 2018 Canadian team that have taken leaves of absences this week) have been completely removed from the New Jersey Devils roster. While Hart's name remains on the Flyers' official roster, his name and number are no longer options for fans to select when personalizing a shirt or jersey on popular merchandise websites.

Even before an official verdict is reached, the Flyers' position of "being in a rebuild" could affect their decision on whether or not to let Hart go. During his mid-season update press conference, Briere made several points emphasizing that the Flyers' main focus is building up a new team culture and mindfully crafting a team with players who fit the identity they want the Flyers to assume. Despite not being officially named in the investigation as of right now, Hart and the other four players who announced their leaves of absence have been found guilty in the court of public opinion. Any association with Hart moving forward could hurt the Flyers' image-wise.

As it stands right now, it doesn't look very likely at all that Hart will have any kind of future with the Flyers. Financially and playing quality-wise, he's been on thin ice for a while. With his indefinite leave of absence and no real timeline being provided for how long the Hockey Canada investigation will last, the Flyers will probably find it in their best interests to get ahead of any bad press, cut Hart, and wash their hands of him as quickly as they can.