Philadelphia Flyers best player takes indefinite leave for personal reasons

Hart taking a leave of absence will make him the second player to do so this week from the 2018 Canadian World Juniors team, of which several members were accused of sexual assault. The other member of the team to take leave was Flames forward Dillon Dube. Hockey Canada has been working closely with police on this case for some time now, and the results of the investigation was expected to be public near beginning of this NHL season.

At the moment, any connection to the 2018 Juniors investigation is just speculation, but seeing both players make the same move this week indicates that something may be imminent from that investigation.

It's a tough blow for the Flyers on the ice to lose their best player and starting goaltender in a season where the rest of the team is performing well above expectations. On the ice, the Flyers will now have to rely on backup goalie Samuel Ersson to continue helping them win games in the Cinderella season they're having.