Carter Hart crosses 1 team off his list as he eyes NHL return.

Teams around the National Hockey League suddenly have access to an additional unrestricted free agent goaltender, and a pretty darn good one at that.

It has been made clear that former Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Carter Hart will be returning to the NHL this season, with multiple reports indicating that there are a number of teams interested in signing the former Flyers netminder to a new deal once he becomes eligible to do so.

As per the NHL's decision, Hart will be eligible to agree to a new deal on October 1st, will become eligible to officially sign that deal on October 15th and could be back playing in the NHL as soon as the month of December should everything go according to plan.

So where will Hart end up? Well there are plenty of teams that could use an upgrade in goal, but one of the team's that could use that help has already been crossed off the list. Recently, NHL insider Chris Johnston has revealed that Hart's former team, the Philadelphia Flyers, are not a team that Hart has any interest in rejoining. Johnston cites sources indicating that Hart wants a fresh start, and has also indicated that one side of the border is far more likely to land him than the other.

From Johnston:

Hart is looking for a fresh start, which effectively rules out a return to Philadelphia.

He’s also almost certainly going to land with a U.S.-based team, per league sources.

Only Hart knows why his former team has been crossed off the list but when it comes to playing in the United States over his home country of Canada I can certainly understand Hart's motives. After having his name dragged through the mud in a high profile court case that made headlines across Canada, I don't think anyone could blame Hart for having a desire to get away from all of that outside noise.

The former Flyers goaltender last played during the 2023-24 NHL regular season where he appeared in 26 games for the Flyers. The Flyers were not a good team at that time but in spite of that Hart managed solid numbers, a 2.80 goals against average and a .906 save percentage. The only question now is how much will the rink rust impact his game after such a long layoff from competing on the ice?

Hart was previously on a 3 year deal that carried an average annual value and salary cap hit of $3,979,000 per season, but it's difficult to gauge what kind of contract he will be able to earn given the unusual circumstances surrounding his return to the NHL. I expect that Hart will look to sign a short term deal that will allow him to prove his skills have not diminished, with the hopes of earning a more lucrative contract down the line.