Philadelphia Flyers General Manager Daniel Briere announced that goaltender Carter Hart has requested and been granted an official leave of absence for personal reasons with no further comments at this time.
In a rather unfortunate development, Carter Hart, 25, who was not present at morning skate Tuesday, will be out indefinitely due to personal reasons. During a contract year and despite having another quality season in the orange and black, albeit having some tough stretches with illness and rough starts, Hart still holds a solid .906 Sv% and 2.99 GAA this season.
The Flyers released the following statement from General Manager Daniel Briere:
“Carter Hart has requested and been granted an indefinite leave of absence citing personal reasons. The club will have no further comment at this time.”
There are multiple reasons for Hart to request a leave of absence, which could be due to his health, mental or physical, or a family matter, among other things. Whatever the case may be, he inherently deserves privacy.
In April 2022, a lawsuit was filed against Hockey Canada. A woman alleged eight players from Canada’s 2018 World Junior team had sexually assaulted her. Dillon Dube and Carter Hart, among others from Canada’s 2018 World Junior team, have been granted leaves of absence from their respective clubs. Hart has denied any involvement in the scandal and allegations.
In Hart’s absence, moving forward, Samuel Ersson, 24, will act as the starting goaltender. Fans seem to think he has already taken over that role. But that is neither here nor there.
In spite of that, goaltender Cal Petersen, 29, has been recalled from Lehigh Valley to backup Ersson, at least for the team’s next three games before the All-Star break. Additionally, Owen Tippett (lower-body) has been placed on injured reserve to open a roster spot for Petersen.
Petersen has been between the pipes twice in Philadelphia during his first season with the club. He has provided 15 games primarily for the Phantoms, although not done particularly well, with a 5-8-2 record and a .890 Sv%.
In the matter of days, the Flyers have gone from having a reliable goalie tandem, to now a shaky in-cohesive pair, Ersson and Petersen. More news and updates likely to follow as the week progresses.
Photo Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
By: DylanRobillard_
brotherlypuck.com 