Flyers Star Taking Indefinite Leave

The Flyers have not given specific reasons for the leave.

Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports - Flyers Star Taking Indefinite Leave

The Philadelphia Flyers announced on Jan. 23 that goalie Carter Hart "has requested and been granted an indefinite leave of absence citing personal reasons."

Hart was not present at that day's morning skate, despite head coach John Tortorella confirming that he was not dealing with any injury or illness. Per the Flyers official statement, as of now, they will not be providing any further comments on the reason behind Hart's absence.

Hart has been struggling a bit in net lately, with his most recent outing against the Colorado Avalanche resulting him getting pulled in the third period after allowing five goals. While his overall numbers for the season have not been bad by any stretch of the imagination, it's been made clear that Tortorella and fans alike have started taking a preference to rookie goalie Sam Ersson, who has been nothing short of a star goaltender since November.

There is, naturally, already intense speculation surrounding the exact reasons behind Hart's request for a leave of absence.

Explanations have ranged from family issues to team conduct issues to Hart's personal health, as he struggled with a rough bout of illness in December that resulted in significant weight loss and left him out of playing contention for 19 days. Speaking to Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia, Hart said of the illness, "Just kind of comes on and off periodically. Finally got to the bottom of it and taking care of it, addressing and fixing the issue. It's just dealing with it, taking care of it and I'm on the right track to get rid of this. Hopefully get past it and feel a lot better going forward."

Another, and much more serious, reason could have to do with the lawsuit filed against Hockey Canada in April 2022. The lawsuit alleged that members of the 2018 World Junior Championship team for Canada—of which Hart was the starting goalie—sexually assaulted a woman, and was settled in May 2022, per Katie Strang of The Athletic.

Dillon Dube, a forward for the Calgary Flames who was also a member of that Canadian team, also took an indefinite leave of absence on Jan. 21. The Flames official team statement attributed the leave to mental health reasons. There is no confirmation that Hart's and Dube's decisions are linked in any way.

The NHL opened its own investigation of the matter shortly after the suit was initially filed, although there has been no update on the matter as of January 2024.

Per Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia, Hart stated in September 2022 that he was "fully cooperating" and "respecting the process" of the league's investigation, adding, "I can't really talk about it right now. I wish I could...But that's all I can really say."

In his end-of-season press conference in April 2023, he gave a similar response to being asked about the matter: "I can't talk about it right now. I wish I could, but not until it's over."

It is of the utmost importance to reiterate that there has been no official reason given, and any "explanations" floating around are purely speculation.

In light of Hart's indefinite absence, Owen Tippett (day-to-day lower body injury) has been placed on the Injury Reserve and goalie Cal Petersen has been called up from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms to back up Sam Ersson, who will assume the No. 1 goaltender role.