Carolina has a dearth of talented goaltending. But it could be better. As I have said, if the Canes could get one piece of the wrong puzzle out of the box, it could have elite talent in the net every night. With the signing of Yaniv Perets the AHL situation is tied up. Dropping Freddie Andersen and Antti Raanta would open the doors for a Connor Hellebuyck or even a value pick like Carter Hart to come in as the #1 goalie, and shift Pyotr Kochetkov to #2 for more development.
Carter Hart is on the Flyers’ trade block, and teams like Seattle and Edmonton are looking hard at him. But what about making a move to bring Hart to Raleigh from Philly?
Would it be worth it?
Ultimately- No
If Carolina is looking for an elite #1 goalie. Hart isn’t their guy.
He is, however, a possible #1b or #2 behind PK.
In his first season as a full-time, #1 starter with the Flyers, Carter Hart had a decent season. His numbers reflect a gap in Philadelphia’s game more than it does his lack of solid net minding.
With a career-high 1,665 shots on goal, Hart still had a .907 SV% in the 2022-23 season. That is a veritable TON of shots to block. In fact, that was enough to rank him 12th most in the league.
For comparison’s sake. Frederik Anderson only faced 864 and was ranked 43rd in the league.
Hart’s .907 SV% is respectable and better than two other goalies who faced more shots than his 1,665. For the Canes, he would fit in 2nd behind Antti Raanta, but ahead of Frederik Anderson.
If Carolina wants to really swing for the fences with goaltending, there are other options. A move on Carter Hart would make sense for salary reasons. Still, pulling the trigger on Hart would mean a commitment by the Hurricanes to make Pyotr Kochetkov their #1 and let go of Frederik Andersen and most likely Antti Raanta as well.
Of course, this is all speculation. We can talk about this until we are blue in the face, and still, none of it could happen. Or it could happen with totally different players. Just throwing out the ideas.