Philadelphia Flyers goalie, Carter Hart, stirred up speculation and intrigue among fans and media as he recently made some notable adjustments to his Instagram account. Late on September 7, fans noticed that Hart had set his account to private, limited comments on all posts, and removed “Flyers” from his bio. These actions have sparked discussions about Hart’s future with the team and potential implications related to the ongoing Hockey Canada sexual assault investigation.
But as Eric Engels of Sportsnet reported on Friday, the moves apparently have nothing to do with his status as a member of the Philadelphia Flyers.
Hart, a 25-year-old goaltender, has been at the center of trade discussions involving the Flyers this summer. The organization’s draft strategy and the contract extension offered to Sam Ersson have suggested that Hart may not be viewed as the team’s goalie of the future. And, when you factor in the Flyers have Ersson, Alexei Kolosov, Ivan Fedotov, Cal Petersen, Felix Sandstrom, Yegor Zavragin, and Carson Bjarnason for their long-term goaltending needs, perhaps there’s an appetite to move Hart if another team is willing.
The situation has gained added complexity due to Hart’s connection to the ongoing Hockey Canada sexual assault investigation. Hart has never publicly denied his involvement in the case, adding a layer of uncertainty to his future in the NHL.
Engels tweeted:
“Regarding Carter Hart privatizing his Instagram+removing the Philadelphia Flyers from the account, GM Danny Briere says there’s nothing to it, that he talked to Hart, who’s excited for this coming Flyers season, and that, as of now, he expects him to be at camp and ready to go.”
Fans were quick to suggest this might be spin by the Flyes organization and noted the “as of now” portion of Engels’ tweet. In other words, some are assuming the situation surrounding Hart is still up in the air, even though he’ll be at camp if things don’t go sideways. Flyers veterans are due to report to camp in less than three weeks. Perhaps the Flyers won’t know anything concrete until then.
Notably, Hart is not the only member of the 2018 Hockey Canada World Junior team who has made their social media accounts private or taken similar actions. Observers on Twitter pointed out that players such as Brett Howden of the Vegas Golden Knights, Dillon Dube of the Calgary Flames, and Jonah Gadjovich of the San Jose Sharks have also made similar changes to their social media profiles. However, some reports indicate that Dube and Gadjovich had already maintained private accounts.
The situation remains fluid, and as the investigation unfolds and the NHL season draws closer, more clarity will emerge regarding the futures of the players involved, including Carter Hart and his status with the Philadelphia Flyers.
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