Carter Hart (Photo by Martin Rose/Getty Images)
Will the NHL goalie trade market pick up now that Carter Hart is available?
“Look, I mean no disrespect to an extremely sensitive situation, but based on what I’ve been hearing since early August, teams that really needed a goalie were thinking about Hart and what his situation was going to be,” an NHL executive source told Research Ground recently.
“If he became available, hockey-wise, he was maybe the best option. Would I sign him? I don’t think so, but I really believe he signs, and then teams start to look at other options out there, and maybe not now, but the market eventually opens up.”
Heading into free agency and the dog days of summer, the consensus was that four teams really wanted to upgrade their goaltending to get over their own proverbial humps:
The Edmonton Oilers, the Utah Mammoth, the Carolina Hurricanes, and Hart’s now-former team, the Philadelphia Flyers.
Hart and five other NHL players were acquitted of sexual assault charges that were issued as a result of an incident in 2018 when they were all members of Canada’s world junior team. The NHL recently suspended the players until Dec. 1, but they are eligible to sign contracts on Oct. 15. Almost immediately after the NHL made its decision on Hart and the four other players, numerous rumors linked Hart to the Oilers, Mammoth, Hurricanes, and the Flyers. However, on Tuesday, Flyers general manager Daniel Briere told reporters that the Flyers and Carter Hart had agreed to part ways.
“The only comment I’ll make on that is that his representative, Judd Moldaver, has reached out and kind of told us that in light of everything that happened in the last year and a half with Carter, they felt, and Carter felt, that it was better for them to look for a fresh start," Briere told reporters as his team prepared to kick off training camp.
"That’s where it’s at and it’s the only comment I’m going to make on that.”
NHL Insider Frank Seravalli then reported that the Oilers would not be one of the teams pursuing Hart.
According to the aforementioned NHL executive source, though, the Mammoth and Hurricanes are both expected to explore their options with the 48th overall pick from the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, who has a career record of 96-93-29 with a 2.94 GAA and .906 save percentage.
As this source did point out, though, the Mammoth and Hurricanes, as well as any other teams that realize they need a goalie upgrade, can also wait until the NHL Holiday Trade Freeze or even the March 6 NHL Trade Deadline to act.
“With guys like Jacob Markstrom (New Jersey Devils), Filip Gustavsson (Minnesota Wild), and [Anthony] Stolarz (Toronto Maple Leafs), entering training camp without do teams like the Mammoth and Hurricanes wait to see if those goalies are available later in the season if their teams struggle?” asked the source.
“All I know is Hart being available has triggered more goalie talk again.”
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