The Philadelphia Flyers will have their starting goaltender back in action ahead of Thursday night’s showdown versus the Arizona Coyotes.
Carter Hart, who hasn’t played since Dec. 23 due to a concussion, was activated from injured reserve on Wednesday, the team announced via social media. The 24-year-old has missed three games since exiting the lineup, with Philadelphia going 3-0-0 during that span.
Hart suffered the injury versus the Carolina Hurricanes during his final contest of 2022 after butting heads with center Seth Jarvis, who was shoved into the Flyers netminder by defenceman Rasmus Ristolainen.
Following the collision, the 6-foot-2 goaltender fell backward into his net before the referees halted play for an injury stoppage, ultimately causing him to leave the ice.
The three-day holiday break afforded Hart recovery time without missing too many games, allowing him to travel with the team during its California road trip. He watched all three games from the press box but was able to participate in team practices out west.
Hart was cleared by doctors on Monday and could have returned to the lineup for the Flyers’ matchup against the Anaheim Ducks. Instead, coach John Tortorella provided him with a few additional rest days, starting Samuel Ersson.
Tortorella’s decision proved beneficial in the end, as Ersson stopped 28 of 29 shots en route to a 4-1 victory, improving Philadelphia to 14-17-7. The 23-year-old owns a 2.90 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage across four starts this season.
Without Hart, Felix Sandström – registering a 3.37 goals-against average and a .888 save percentage in nine games in 2022-23 – remained the club’s backup, with Ersson taking the starting reins. But now that Hart has returned, there appears to be a logjam in goal.
The Flyers re-assigned forward Olle Lycksell to the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Tuesday, clearing a roster spot ahead of Hart’s return. The problem, however, is that Philadelphia features three netminders on its active roster, and Ersson is the only skater exempt from waivers.
Carrying three goalies isn’t ideal, as someone will be left sitting for an extended period, although it likely wouldn’t cause any damage if left unaddressed in the short term. Long term, however, Sandström or Ersson will need to be removed.
Ersson would be the obvious choice, but considering how well the youngster filled in, it’s worth wondering if the Flyers would be better off keeping him around. That would mean placing Sandström on waivers and potentially losing him to another franchise, though.
Hart, meanwhile, will be welcomed back with open arms by his teammates as he’s been one of the top goaltenders in the NHL this season. The second-round selection from 2016 ranks top 10 league-wide in both goals saved (12.8) and save percentage above expected (0.008), according to MoneyPuck.
The Sherwood Park, Alb., native has also excelled in goals-against average (2.89) and save percentage (.911), both serving as the best of his career since 2019-20. That’s much improved from last season, where he posted a 3.16 GAA and a .905 SV percentage over 45 contests.
Hart is signed through 2023-24 with a $3.97 million cap hit per season and will enter restricted free agency with arbitration rights following his sixth campaign in Philadelphia.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @ThomasHall85
Photo: Bruce C. Cooper. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.