Report: Golden Knights sign Carter Hart to two-year deal

As reported by TSN’s Darren Dreger, the Vegas Golden Knights are signing Hart to a two-year contract. The deal is expected to carry a cap hit of $2 million through the 2026-27 season.

Hart had joined the team last week, signing a professional tryout. There was an expectation that a contract was forthcoming for the 27-year-old, and with a number of injuries on the Vegas roster, the door swung open for the former Philadelphia Flyers netminder.

Hart would be the first of the five members of the 2018 Canadian National Junior Team who were found not guilty in a sexual assault trial to sign an NHL contract. Hart, Dillon Dubé, Cal Foote, Alex Formenton and Michael McLeod became eligible to sign deals starting on Oct. 15, wth players remaining suspended from playing through Dec. 1.

With that, Hart cannot play for over a month, but can continue to get in shape for when he’s allowed to return to game action. The Sherwood Park, Alb. native last saw game action on Jan. 20, 2024, not long before the trial began.

How the Golden Knights were able to sign Hart came down to some crucial injuries. Captain Mark Stone was placed on long-term injured reserve on Thursday due to a wrist injury. That opened up close to $2.5 million in cap space for Vegas, according to PuckPedia. Depending on the severity of Stone’s injury, the Golden Knights might have to make some moves in order to fit Stone and Hart in the lineup when the time comes.

The urgency to sign Hart has also come from some ailments in the goaltending department. Adin Hill suffered what appeared to be a lower-body injury this past Monday against the Carolina Hurricanes and is out week-to-week. That leaves the goaltending tandem in Sin City to Akira Schmid and former prospect Carl Linbom.

Through six NHL seasons, Hart played in 227 games, posting a record of 96-93-29 with a .906 save percentage and a 2.94 goals-against average.

The Golden Knights (5-0-2) are set to visit the Florida Panthers on Saturday night.