This is crazy to hear, as it means that the Flyers were trying to hold on to Hart as long as possible to try and make a push for a playoff appearance. It makes sense when you look at it, as their current tandem without Hart has been Samuel Ersson and the new goalie sensation, Ivan Fedotov.
It does make sense when you think about it however, as some of the moves that the Flyers have made seem to make sense when you realize they knew about Hart's future departure from the team. This is most apparent in their moves in the off-season last year and their picks used at the draft, as this seems to be when they became aware of their imminent loss.
You can see that the Flyers have been trying to acquire goalies for the future with their recent moves. They drafted two goalies at the 2023 draft, acquired Cal Peterson from the Kings, re-signed Samuel Ersson and signed Ivan Fedotov upon his abrupt departure from the KHL. They current have an astounding 6 goalies in their system without Hart, which is way above the number that most teams carry.
The Flyers have been stocking up to try and find a goalie who can go hot for next season, and hopefully it works for them. They want someone who can be reliable in net and Tortorella seems insistent that one of these pieces will be able to pick up the slack in net left by Hart's absence.
POLL | ||
Do you think Hart will play in the NHL again? | ||
Yes, there's a chance | 63 | 22.5 % |
No, not for the foreseeable future | 217 | 77.5 % |
List of polls |