Pending RFA Carter Hart not issued qualifying offer by Flyers, will become UFA

Due to the fact that his contract was set to expire on July 1, the Philadelphia Flyers needed to make a decision on goaltender Carter Hart’s status with the organization — potentially a final decision.

They did just that.

A team source confirmed to PHLY on Sunday afternoon that the Flyers would not be issuing a qualifying offer to pending restricted free agent Carter Hart prior to the league’s 5 PM EST June 30 deadline, making him an unrestricted free agent starting on July 1. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli was first to report the news.

Hart, of course, has been charged with one count of sexual assault by the London Police Service, in connection with an alleged assault back in July of 2018 after a Hockey Canada Foundation Gala & Golf event in London, Ontario. Hart took an indefinite leave of absence from the club on January 23 in anticipation of charges being filed, and was placed on the inactive list for the remainder of the 2023-24 season.

Hart’s future status with the organization remained in limbo through the remainder of his current three-year, $11,937,000 contract. But upon the contract’s conclusion, the Flyers needed to issue him a one-year qualifying offer worth $4,479,000 (his base salary for the 2023-24 season) to retain exclusive negotiation rights.

It would have essentially served as a one-year, $4.479 million contract offer that Hart would have been free to sign, regardless of his legal issues and whether the NHL would have even permitted him to play while the court proceedings remained pending (the expectation is that the trial for Hart and four other charged players will begin sometime in 2025). Given the Flyers’ cap situation, it was always unlikely that they would risk a $4+ million cap hit on their books for a player with such an uncertain future, even setting aside the moral conundrum of actively re-signing a player currently charged with a heinous crime.

Or, the Flyers could have chosen to forgo the qualifying offer, which would mean that they would cut ties with Hart entirely, lose exclusive negotiation rights with him, and make him an unrestricted free agent. They ultimately did just that.

The Flyers had been waiting on guidance from the NHL league office, as the NHL and NHLPA were evaluating alternative contractual scenarios while the league proceedings were pending. Most likely, the two sides explored the possibility of the creation of some sort of “reserve list” where the players could be placed in the interim, which would allow their NHL teams to retain their rights without officially signing them to new contracts. However, The Athletic’s Chris Johnston reported on Saturday that no such change to Hart’s status (or the other players charged) was forthcoming, and the final decision would be left to the teams.

Hart’s Flyers career ends with 227 games played, a 96-93-29 record, and a 0.906 save percentage. A second-round pick in 2016, Hart served as the team’s primary goalie from his call-up in 2018-19 through his indefinite leave of absence in 2023-24.

Now, his Flyers career is over — and presumably, his NHL career could be as well, pending the results of his looming trial.