Now that the five players from Team Canada are eligible to sign and return to the National Hockey League, many people are wondering if any team will sign, specifically, Carter Hart.
There has been a lot of speculation out there regarding Hart returning to the NHL, as he is a goalie that teams could use. Again, Hart can sign a deal as of October 15th and begin play on December 1st. There are some indications he will get a multi-year contract, but as NHLRumors.com has reported, Hart hasn’t played in over 20 months. Is it such a good idea to give him a multi-year deal? Could a one-year deal be better?
NHL Rumors: Is Carter Hart Worthy of a Multi-Year Extension?
As we are seeing with the opening of training camps, both the Philadelphia Flyers and Edmonton Oilers have confirmed the reports that Hart is not interested in going to those clubs, and the teams are not interested in bringing him in.
Both the Flyers and Oilers have confirmed publicly they don’t want Carter Hart.
Checking in around none of them will play in a Canadian market. Scratch Vegas off because of where the owner went to school.
There aren’t many teams if any that want that risk. https://t.co/dKsWZImZzy
— Jim Biringer (@JimBiringer) September 17, 2025
That’s two destinations for Hart that are out of the equation where he isn’t going. Add in the other six Canadian teams as well. He isn’t going to want to deal with the media circus of playing in Canada after what happened. So what other options does he have?
According to Frank Seravalli of Bleacher Report, Hart could go to the Vegas Golden Knights or Nashville Predators, but the name everyone keeps hearing is the Carolina Hurricanes.
“The name that I’ve heard, interestingly enough, for not just Carter Hart, but also forward Michael McLeod, they’ve both been connected to the Carolina Hurricanes. Now, I’m not saying that that is a deal that’s going to happen. I think that’s one of the teams that will be interested in both of those players. But just when it comes to Carter Hart, specifically, go through the list of teams around the NHL that you believe could use a goaltender. So Carolina is one.
NHL Rumors: Nashville Predators, Edmonton Oilers, and Carter Hart
The Vegas Golden Knights are in an interesting spot with their goaltending situation. (Ilya) Samsonov was there last year. He didn’t come back. Adin Hill is obviously the guy. What is the long-term plan for the Golden Knights in net? Carter Hart, being a relatively younger guy, obviously still south of the age of 30, that he’s someone that could fit with that team for the longer haul and also give him a chance to win.
And our guy in the chat here, Kenny, was asking, What about Utah? I think Utah is another team that would make some real sense for Carter Hart as a potential landing spot moving forward because of the uncertainty with their goaltending situation as well.
I’m going to give one that I haven’t been able to rule out yet that I think is really interesting, but not from an obvious perspective. And that’s the Nashville Predators. Yes, they have Juuse Saros. Yes, he’s on a long-term deal. Yes, he’s coming off of a really disappointing season. What are the Preds plans in net for the future? I’m wondering if Carter Hart could be a fit for the Nashville Predators.”
A couple of things with these teams. Those close to the Utah Mammoth, they will not be going after Cart Hart, even with the departure of Connor Ingram. As far as the Vegas Golden Knights go, well, their owner, Bill Foley, went to the United States Military Academy at West Point, and the signing of Carter Hart would violate the Honor Code he upholds.
The Carolina Hurricanes are interesting because of Frederik Andersen and Kochetkov. Both have injury histories, and their style of play could protect Hart. But is he a risk worth taking? The same goes for the Nashville Predators. Saros is there along with Justus Annunen.
NHL Rumors: Carter Hart and Erik Karlsson
Could the Los Angeles Kings be an option? Fits what he is looking for—an opportunity to play and a chance to win. But the possibilities are thin, as these players could be heading down a path similar to Slava Voynov, who had his 2015 domestic violence charges dismissed in 2018. Though his contract was terminated by the Kings, they still held his rights. He was suspended for the entire 2019-20 season due to unacceptable off-ice conduct after applying for reinstatement, and his eligibility was restored in July 2020. However, no team ever took a chance on him.
Carter Hart, Michael McLeod, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dube, and Cal Foote could be heading down that path. How many teams realistically want to deal with the PR backlash?
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