The Philadelphia Flyers will be without goaltender Carter Hart for the foreseeable future.
Hart, 25, was confirmed to have been charged with one count of sexual assault, in connection to the Hockey Canada investigation, by his legal representation on Jan. 30. While this charge has not been proven in court, Alison Craig, a defense attorney who specializes in sexual assault cases for Posner Craig Stein LLP, believes a trial is several months away.
“Time will be taken; weeks, if not months, to review it all,” Craig said, explaining the process to TSN. “There’s a number of required meetings that will be held between the lawyers and the Crown, then the lawyers, the Crown, and the judges. Ultimately, at the end of all of that – which is likely several months down the line – a trial date will likely be set.”
“Definitely going to be at least a year,” Craig added. “Likely, the trial would be in 2025 sometime.”
Hart’s contract with the Flyers expires at the end of this season. As a pending RFA, the team will hold the netminder’s rights should they tender a qualifying offer. Qualifying offers must be tendered by the Monday following the NHL draft, and then Carter Hart, in this case, must sign by 5 p.m. on Dec. 1 to be eligible to play for the Flyers in the 2024-25 season.
For those wondering, the Flyers’ qualifying offer to Hart in the summer would cost them $4.479 million. That’s a hefty commitment to a player whose availability to actually play is not clear.
It’s unclear whether Hart will be allowed to play by either the Flyers or the NHL while the trial and legal processes are ongoing. Philadelphia is already receiving cap relief on Hart’s salary, so this is currently not a realistic outcome for this season, at a minimum.
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