Carter Hart

Hart was noticeably better last year when compared to his performance in the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 campaign, which is saying something considering he finished the 2021-22 season with a 13-24-7 record, a 3.16 GAA and a .905 save percentage. If that wasn't bad enough, Hart played just three of Philadelphia's final 17 games due to a lower-body issue. Hart's talent has never been in question, but the Flyers seem caught in between rebuilding and trying to compete, which is the worst place you can be in the NHL. Perhaps the addition of coach John Tortorella will result in a bit more help for Hart, but don't bet on it given Philadelphia's roster. You can probably do better in standard fantasy formats.

A popular breakout candidate just a year ago, Hart was one of, if not the worst goaltender in the NHL last season. Over the course of 27 games, Hart posted a 9-11-5 record, a 3.67 GAA and an .897 save percentage before missing Philadelphia's final 13 games with a knee injury. Hart's biggest issue was his inability to limit the damage when things went poorly. He allowed four or more goals in 13 of his 27 games, an incomprehensible number. As difficult as it may be to believe, Hart is a theoretical rebound candidate. The Flyers remade their blue line this offseason and brought Martin Jones in to backup Hart. Jones' play has been in decline for years and Hart will be in prime position to run away with the No. 1 job if he gets off to a better start.

Hart's sophomore campaign was no less impressive than his first, finishing the 2019-20 season with 24 wins. He got a big boost from new coach Alain Vigneault as the Flyers went from 22nd to first in fewest shots allowed per game, and Hart also vastly improved his game-to-game consistency. If he stays on his current path, Hart will unquestionably elevate to elite-status in no time, making him worth an early-round pick in most fantasy leagues. Even if Hart struggles to improve in his third season, he'll at worst be a high-volume workhorse; Brian Elliott was re-signed this offseason, but his numbers fell for the fourth straight season last year and he'll only be able to spell Hart on occasion.

While Philadelphia did re-sign Brian Elliott to a one-year deal this offseason, make no mistake -- the Flyers are now Hart's team. The 20-year-old debuted in December and promptly went 11-5-1 while registering a highly impressive .926 save percentage in his first 17 games. Hart struggled a bit down the stretch, which was to be expected from a rookie netminder, but he's definitely the real deal. The Flyers sure hope so, as the organization hasn't really had a franchise backstop since Ron Hextall. When all was said and done, Hart finished his rookie campaign with a 16-13-1 record, a .917 save percentage and a 2.83 GAA in 31 appearances. With Elliott in the fold, Philadelphia won't have to push Hart to start 60-to-65 games immediately in 2019-20, but he'll undoubtedly get the bulk of the work.