By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor
Following a busy few weeks that brought a bunch of new faces to Philadelphia, there were two orders of business left for the Flyers in this offseason. Two restricted free agents, both at key positions, needed new contracts. One of those deals is now complete.
The Flyers and goaltender Carter Hart have agreed to a three-year deal with an AAV of $3.979 million, GM Chuck Fletcher announced on Monday morning.
Hart, 22, is now signed through the 2023-24 NHL season. In 27 games and 25 starts last season, Hart struggled posting a 9-11-5 record with a 3.67 GAA and .877 save percentage. Hart did finish the 2020-21 season stronger, with a 1-2-2 record, 2.31 GAA and .905 save percentage in his final five starts.
In the 2019-20 season, Hart’s first full season in the NHL, he broke out with a 24-13-3 record in 43 games with a 2.42 GAA and .914 save percentage. In the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Hart played in 14 games with a 9-5 record, a 2.23 GAA and a .926 save percentage.
For his career, Hart has played in 101 games with a 49-37-9 record with a 2.88 GAA and .905 save percentage.
Upon making his NHL debut, a win over Detroit on Dec. 18, 2018, Hart became the second-youngest goalie to appear in a game and youngest to get a win in Flyers history. Hart also made NHL history on a couple of occasions, becoming the second-youngest goalie in NHL history to record back-to-back playoff shutouts and tying an NHL record with an eight-game winning streak before his 21st birthday.
Hart’s new contract now solidifies the crease for the Flyers, alongside newly-signed netminder Martin Jones. That leaves Travis Sanheim as the only RFA remaining for the Flyers. The Flyers filed for arbitration with Sanheim and the hearing date is set for Aug. 26, but a deal could certainly get done before then.