Carter Hart shut down for season due to MCL sprain in left knee

Carter Hart’s season is over. The Philadelphia Flyers announced on Thursday that Hart will miss the remainder of the season with an MCL sprain in his left knee.

Hart tweaked something in his last game, a 2-1 shootout win in Pittsburgh, and was held out of the ensuing games as a precaution. The Flyers are continuing to play it safe with their young goalie by shutting him down for the season.

The Flyers only have seven games left in the season with limited practice time, so the move makes sense. Hart would’ve needed at least a practice or two with the team before starting. There’s no reason to potentially rush him back for a start or two in a meaningless season.

There is no doubt that Hart was severely impacted by the condensed schedule this season.

Hart finishes the 2021 season with a poor stat line. Overall, he is 9-11-5 with a 3.67 goals against average and .877 save percentage. That is weighed down pretty heavily by his performance in March. He was 2-6-0 in March with a 5.04 goals against average and .815 save percentage.

Carter Hart returns with confidence and a smile after hard-working week of practice

After a few days off to practice and reset, Hart bounced back in April. He went 1-2-2 in five starts with a 2.31 goals against average and .910 save percentage. He made 31 saves on 32 shots in his last start of the season, a win against the Penguins.

Carter Hart now has the last few weeks of the season to rehab before starting his offseason workouts. If all goes according to plan, the NHL wants to have a more normal schedule next season with training camp in September and the regular season starting in October.

Photo: Heather Barry Images