After original speculation, the Philadelphia Flyers have confirmed themselves that a Carter Hart reunion is not in the cards.
Their second-round draft pick (48th overall) from 2016 was recently acquitted of sexual assault charges stemming from an incident during the 2018 World Juniors while playing for Team Canada.
All five players who were accused are eligible to resume their NHL careers come December 1, 2025; however, Hart is and will remain the one who draws the most interest and attention.
The 27-year-old has already been linked to several teams, while others, including his former team, the Flyers, have been ruled out for various reasons. On Tuesday, general manager Daniel Briere affirmed that when speaking to the media. Team reporter Siobhan Nolan shared his comments on X (formerly Twitter).
“The only comment I’ll make on that is that his representative has reached out and told us they felt that it was better for them to look for a fresh start,” Briere said.
“The only comment I’ll make on that is that his representative has reached out and told us they felt that it was better for them to look for a fresh start.”
—Danny Briere on the possibility of resigning Carter Hart. Looks like he will not return to Philly.
— Siobhan Nolan (@SGNolan) September 16, 2025
Hart will finish with an overall record of 96-93-29 with a 2.94 goals-against average, a .906 save percentage, and six shutouts throughout his six-year career in Philadelphia.
New teams connected to Hart
While we’ve heard that the Flyers, Oilers, and any Canadian team in general won’t be involved in the Carter Hart sweepstakes, we’re now learning of some teams that could land the netminder in free agency.
According to TSN hockey insider Chris Johnston, Carolina, Utah, and Vegas are three of the many to potentially kick tires on Hart.
Chris Johnston: Re Carter Hart: I think Carolina’s had interest there, there’s talk about Utah; Michael Russo mentioned Vegas; but I think the list of potential places is longer than that – Chris Johnston Show (9/15)
— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) September 16, 2025
Fellow insider David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period had also previously mentioned the Hurricanes as well as the Pittsburgh Penguins among those to have reached out with interest.
The expectation is that Carter Hart will come to a decision by October 1, so this situation is only going to heat up even more in the coming days and weeks.
