Carter Hart becomes unrestricted free agent after Flyers decline to issue qualifying offer

The Flyers did not issue Carter Hart a qualifying offer on Sunday and the goalie is now an unrestricted free agent.

Hart has not been with the team since he was granted an indefinite leave of absence for personal reasons on Jan. 23. The next day, the Globe and Mail reported that the then-unnamed Hockey Canada players allegedly involved in a sexual assault in London, Ontario, in June 2018 had been ordered to turn themselves in to police.

Along with Dillon Dubé of the Calgary Flames, former NHLer Alex Formenton, and New Jersey Devils players Michael McLeod and Cal Foote, Hart officially was charged a week later, according to his lawyers.

» READ MORE: Carter Hart, ex-teammates with Hockey Canada await trial date in sexual assault case

Dubé, McLeod, and Foote also did not receive qualifying offers. The expectation was that none of the defendants would play in the NHL in 2024-25 as the case works its way through the Canadian court system. A trial date has not yet been set due to a backlog, but it is not expected to start until April 2025.

Originally drafted by the Flyers in 2016, Hart went 96-93-29 with a 2.94 goals-against average and .906 save percentage in 227 games. The 25-year-old was scheduled to receive an offer of $4.479 million. According to the Collective Bargaining Agreement, he would have received that amount because his base salary in the last year of his expiring three-year contract was the lesser between that and the 120% multiplier of his cap hit of $3.979 million per year.

Brière was asked at his pre-draft presser on June 20 if the team was re-signing its free agents.

“All of them on the Flyers, yes. That’s the plan,” he said, referencing Bobby Brink and Egor Zamula, who each received a qualifying offer. “You know, obviously the one caveat to that is Carter Hart. We’re still waiting for guidance from the NHL.”

Two weeks earlier, sitting alongside commissioner Gary Bettman at their annual Stanley Cup Final news conference, deputy commissioner Bill Daly stated: “As of right now, the status quo would be that whatever rights the CBA set forth for clubs and players will adhere. We’ve talked generally with the [NHL] Players’ Association about the possibility of revisiting that on some basis, but have no commitment with regard to that, so it’s quite possible that clubs will have the decision of qualifying or not as of the end of the month.”

When the comments from the league were brought up to Brière, he said there was still no guidance “as far as what we can do, what it is, and how it works out.” The Flyers received cap relief for Hart’s contract after his arrest. The general manager confirmed part of the direction he was awaiting was whether the team would receive the same relief in the 2024-25 season.

» READ MORE: Observations from the draft floor: Flyers add size, center depth, and stock up for 2025

Bettman said in January at his annual All-Star Weekend news conference that he “would be surprised” if Hart and his codefendants would be playing while the case is pending, before adding that “they’re all free agents. They won’t be under contract after the season anyway.”

TSN NHL insider Chris Johnston reported Saturday that there were talks between the NHL and the NHL Players’ Association regarding the players’ status but they opted against taking action.

The Flyers’ goalie tandem is set for the upcoming season with Sam Ersson and Ivan Fedotov in net.

» READ MORE: Grading the Flyers’ selection of Jett Luchanko: Was it a bit of a reach?

Ersson is entering the first year of a two-year extension with a cap hit of $1.45 million signed last August. He took over the workload beginning in December and went 23-19-7 with a 2.82 GAA, .890 save percentage, and four shutouts in his first full NHL season. He finished 10th in Calder Trophy voting and third in voting among goalies for the All-Rookie Team.

Russian netminder Fedotov was finally able to join the Flyers in late March and made three appearances, including his first NHL start. He signed a two-year contract in April with a cap hit of $3.275 million.

The Flyers also have Belarusian star goalie Alexei Kolosov and 2023 draft pick Carson Bjarnason in Lehigh Valley. Brière said following the draft that the team was leaning toward keeping Cal Petersen, who has a $5 million cap hit in 2024-25 and was a buyout candidate. The expectation is he will be with the Phantoms and his cap hit will be buried in the minors at a cost of $3.85 million.