Danny Brière: Flyers would at least listen to trade offers for goaltender Carter Hart

The Flyers are open to listening to trade offers for goaltender Carter Hart, general manager Danny Brière said Saturday in an interview on 94.1 WIP.

”Most likely, Carter will be our goalie for the future, but I’m not in a position to turn down anything,” Brière said. “I have to listen.”

Hart, who turns 25 in August, went 22-23-10 last season for the Flyers, with a .907 save percentage and a 2.94 goals-against average. The young netminder is 84-84-26 with a .906 SV% and 2.96 GAA in five seasons as the team’s starter.

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Brière’s response when asked about Hart falls in line with everything he’s said since taking over — initially on an interim basis — as general manager. In his introductory press conference on March 12 after replacing Chuck Fletcher, Brière hinted that no one was untouchable, while in his exit interview in April, he reiterated as much when asked about veterans such as Travis Konecny, Kevin Hayes, and Tony DeAngelo.

The Hart trade questions come at an interesting time, as the Flyers have acknowledged they are in the early stages of their rebuild. While Hart took a considerable step forward this past season, he is in the final year of a three-year bridge deal that carries a $3.979 million cap hit. Assuming the netminder continues last season’s upward trajectory, he would also likely be due a raise and a long-term contract. The Flyers’ struggles to find a long-term option over the years are well-documented, so the organization would have to weigh that into any conversation about trading Hart or whether or not he fits their timeline for being competitive.

Potentially trading Hart would also likely be on hold for the moment given the ongoing sexual assault investigations involving the 2018 Canada World Juniors team. Hart was the starting goaltender on that team, and the NHL, Hockey Canada, and the London Police all have opened or re-opened investigations into the case. Teams entertaining trading for Hart or any member of that World Juniors team would likely want to wait to see the full findings of the investigations and whether or not there would be corresponding discipline/suspensions for any players involved.

The allegations pertain to the events following a 2018 Hockey Canada gala, where a woman alleges that several Canadian Hockey League players sexually assaulted her in a hotel room in the early hours of June 19. At the end of last year, London Police and investigators said they believed that there were “reasonable grounds” to believe that five members of the 2018 Canadian World Juniors team were involved in the assault. When asked ahead of training camp this past September, Hart told reporters he was “fully cooperating” with the NHL investigation.

“I can’t really talk about it right now,” Hart said. “I wish I could. I’m respecting the process with the NHL and fully cooperating with their investigation. But that’s all I can really say.”

When asked specifically if he is cooperating with the reopened London police and Hockey Canada investigations, Hart reiterated, “That’s all I can say right now.”

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in January that the NHL’s probe into the allegations was “getting really close to the end.” As of May 27, no updates or findings have been provided.

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