In a rather shocking announcement coming from the Philadelphia Flyers, the team has granted goaltender Carter Hart an indefinite leave of absence due to personal reasons.
It is an unfortunate development for both the player and the team, as Hart is in the midst of yet another quality season for the Flyers. Including this season, over the last three years, Hart has produced a 47-56-20 record in Philadelphia, carrying a solid .906 SV% and 2.99 GAA. Although the amount of wins is likely not where he would like them to be, the strong play of Hart this year has helped put the Flyers squarely in a position to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2019-20 season.
Given that speculation surrounding the specific reasoning for Hart’s leave of absence would be inappropriate, if Hart has broken a team conduct rule within the organization, it is more than likely the team will announce that soon. If Hart is dealing with a separate family matter away from the arena, that would inherently deserve privacy.
Moving forward, in Hart’s absence, Samuel Ersson should assume the starting role, as he has put together an impressive season by all accounts. In 22 games played for the Flyers this year, Ersson carries a 12-6-3 record while producing a .909 SV% and 2.36 GAA. Furthermore, even though Hart has garnered the majority of starts in net for Philadelphia, Ersson leads the team in shutouts with three.
In a corresponding roster move, the Flyers have announced they will be recalling goaltender Calvin Petersen from their AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Acquired as a salary dump from the Los Angeles Kings this past offseason, Petersen has only managed two games in Philadelphia in his first season with the club. Playing primarily for the Phantoms, Petersen has not done particularly well, earning a 5-8-2 record in 15 games with a very modest .890 SV%.
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