Briere Says He Will Consider Trading Carter Hart

Flyers general manager Daniel Briere said Saturday he is open to trading goalie Carter Hart.

“Most likely, Carter will be our goalie for the future, but I’m not in a position to turn down anything,” Briere said on 94.1 WIP. “I have to listen.”

Briere’s statement was something of a bombshell. On many nights, Hart was the Flyers’ best player.

Of all the Flyers’ players, Hart might be considered the one untouchable. The Flyers clearly have weaknesses on the forward lines and on defense — but not in goal. Hart has shown he is a quality NHL goaltender who can be expected to improve with a stronger defensive unit in front of him.

Hart was 22-23-10 last season with a .907 save percentage and a 2.94 goals-against average. He had a good season for a 31-38-13 team with defensive deficiencies.

Hart has played five seasons with the Flyers after being drafted in the second round, 48th overall, in 2016. Hart will turn 25 in August.

Hart’s career stats are 84-84-26. He has a .906 career save percentage and 2.96 goals-against average.

Rebuild Mode

Briere announced in March that the Flyers were in a rebuild. They have missed the playoffs three consecutive seasons and four of the last five.

Briere will be part of a management team that includes president of hockey operations Keith Jones and coach John Tortorella that will conduct the rebuild.

“All the things they’ve talked to me about Carter when I was first hired here — some of them may be question marks about him in talking to the management and group going through the interview process,” Tortorella said toward the end of the season.

“I’ve haven’t seen [questions marks] for a second. I think he has handled himself so well this year. He’s probably been our most consistent player. Ups and downs, where we are as a team. He just plays. He’s been a really good pro.”

If the Flyers move on from Hart, they have two Swedish goalies in the system who played in Philadelphia this season.

Felix Sandstrom was 3-12-3 in 20 games. His save percentage was .900 and his goals-against average was 3.13.

Sam Ersson showed promise in the 12 games he played. He had a .899 goals-against average and a 3.07 goals-against average.