PHILADELPHIA – It’s safe to say there was some serious planning that went into ex-Flyer goaltender Carter Hart’s unavailability for Thursday night’s game between Vegas and Philly.
Hart, who joined the Golden Knights earlier this month after he was cleared to play by the NHL following a not guilty verdict in a 2024 sexual assault trial, started in previous games at the New York Rangers and Islanders.
Coach Bruce Cassidy opted not to use Hart against the Flyers. The goaltender was not made available for comment. Obviously, if Hart had been cleared to speak, it might have been a distraction for the rest of the players on the team.
“Carter wants to play every game. He’s a very competitive guy,” Cassidy said. “We discussed coming out, you’d play two out of three this week, and coming out of the Ranger game, he wanted to get right back in the net.
“So that led to a decision on Long Island. We discussed it obviously with him, but that was more us making a decision. I had to get (Akira) Schmid back in pretty soon coming off the shutout, that’s how we landed on it.”
Back on Oct. 16, Hart was able to join Las Vegas for a tryout, knowing he would not be able to play until Dec. 1.
Once the reinstatement was made, Hart signed a two-year, $4-million contract.
According to ESPN, Flyers general manager Daniel Briere did explore the possibility of re-signing Hart, who was a free agent. That offer, along with several others from teams around the league, was declined by Hart. Regarding the decision not to return to Philadelphia, Hart reportedly told the Flyers he wanted a “fresh start.”
Hart, 27, played six seasons with the Flyers. The former second-round pick (48th overall) in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft played 227 games with the Flyers, recording a 96-93 won-loss mark, a 2.94 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage.
>Power play still auditioning
The Flyers started off this season with an unusually potent power play, reaching as high as the middle-teens mark.
Recently that unit has slumped down to 22nd, converting just below 18 percent of its chances.
Part of the problem seems to be inconsistent play at the point, where Jamie Drysdale has struggled at times on the first unit.
Two possible replacements – Cam York and Rasmus Ristolainen – are still on the mend from injuries. When they return, they might get some audition time at the all-important “quarterback” spot.
“We’re still trying to find the top guy,” coach Rick Tocchet said. “I don’t think there’s a guy who’s separated himself. We’re really trying to develop that top of the power play guy for us. Maybe ‘Risto’ is that guy. He’s got a big shot. Maybe he’s that guy, I don’t know.”
Tocchet expects to have Ristolainen back before Christmas.
“That doesn’t mean Jamie is out,” Tocchet said. “It’s more of who’s having a good night. And Jamie has done so well five-on-five. . .sometimes you have to be careful. You give a guy too much responsibility and it affects their game.”
York took part in some contact drills at Thursday morning’s skate and reported no issues.
Tocchet said Ristolainen has “stacked some heavy days together. I’d be shocked if he didn’t play before Christmas.”
>Getting around the size issue
The second defense pairing of Drysdale and Emil Andrae doesn’t overpower opponents with its size (both under 6-feet and less than 200 pounds) but they make up for it in other ways.
“Intelligent hockey IQ and quickness,” Tocchet said. “Guys that are smaller, you teach them differently. They’re not going to go in there and hammer guys, which Emil will try sometime. But they use their brains, their quickness. You can outthink somebody on a cycle. That can work when you’re a smaller guy.”
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