Carter Hart will take an indefinite leave of absence from the Flyers, Philadelphia general manager Daniel Briere announced Tuesday.
No specific details have been released as to why the Flyers' starting goaltender is leaving the club.
“Carter Hart has requested and been granted an indefinite leave of absence citing personal reasons. The club has no further comment at this time,” Briere said in a short statement.
The news comes after Hart, 25, did not participate in Tuesday morning's skate at the team's practice facility in Voorhees, N.J., and head coach John Tortorella announced that Samuel Elson would be 2-2 for Tuesday's game against the Lightning. This was announced after he announced that he would be the starting pitcher for consecutive years.
The former Rangers bench manager simply replied, “Yes,” when a reporter asked if Hart was healthy. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Hart, in his sixth season with the Flyers, is 12-9-3 this year with a 2.80 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage (one shutout).
Hart suffered a back injury and food poisoning in early November, followed by an undisclosed illness in December.
“It's been going on for a while.” Hart told NBC Sports Philadelphia on Dec. 16.. “I think something is going on because I never got sick before and now I think I've gotten sick three times in the last month. It's good to be able to fundamentally understand and understand. . Now we can take the appropriate steps to treat and fix it, and you'll feel better in the future.”
The goalie is in his final year. 3-year, $11,937,000 contract He will be a restricted free agent after this season.
Cal Petersen was called up from the team's AHL Lehigh Valley affiliate on Tuesday night as Elson's backup.
Peterson is 5-8-2 in the AHL this season with an .890 save percentage and a 3.26 goals against average.
He has played in two games in the NHL this year, posting a record of 1 win, 1 loss, and 0 losses, with a save percentage of .896.
Briere is next scheduled to speak to the media on Wednesday, which was scheduled before Tuesday's news.
