Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Carter Hart is taking an indefinite leave of absence for personal reasons.
General manager Daniel Briere announced Tuesday that Hart had requested and been granted time away from the team. He added the Flyers will have no further comment.
Messages sent to Hart’s agent, Judd Moldaver, and lawyer, Scott K. Fenton, seeking comment or further clarification of the situation were not immediately returned.
Hart, 25, is coming off one of his worst starts of an otherwise strong season Saturday when he allowed five goals on 15 shots in a loss to Colorado before being pulled. He’s 12-9-3 in his sixth NHL season, the final one of his three-year contract worth $11.9 million US.
A native of Sherwood Park, Alta., outside Edmonton, Hart is set to be a restricted free agent next summer.
In a corresponding move, the Flyers recalled goalie Cal Petersen from their American Hockey League affiliate in Lehigh Valley, Pa., and placed forward Owen Tippett on injured reserve.
The Flyers, who have been one of the league’s most pleasant surprises this season and hold a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night in one of their final games before the all-star break.
Hart is the latest NHL player to take a leave from his team. On Sunday, the Calgary Flames announced forward Dillon Dube was stepping away indefinitely to attend to his mental health and was under the care of professionals.
Carter Hart and Dillon Dube, both members of junior Team Canada 2018, have taken leaves from their NHL teams. Might be just a coincidence, unrelated, but it appears as though some kind of ruling on the sexual assault scandal may be coming shortly.
—@simmonssteve