According to a new report, the goalie-needy Edmonton Oilers are not expected to target former Philadelphia Flyers goalie Carter Hart at this time.
Hart, 26, was found not guilty of sexual assault in the 2018 Hockey Canada trial by Justice Maria Carroccia and remains an unrestricted free agent, though the NHL has deemed Hart and the other four players ineligible to return for the time being.
But, while Hart awaits an update on his status from the NHL, it would appear the Oilers have been ruled out as a potential landing spot for the Flyers' former No. 1 goalie.
According to NHL insider Frank Seravalli, Hart is a "non-starter" for the Oilers as things currently stand.
"I was told that Carter Hart is a non-starter for the Edmonton Oilers, and, beyond that, he's a non-starter for everyone right now coming off his acquittal in the Hockey Canada sexual assault case in court in London, Ontario, as ruled upon last week," Seravalli said during a livestream for B/R Open Ice.
"Him and the other four former NHL players have been labelled by the NHL as ineligible, and they're going to continue to review the file before determining next steps in the commissioner's office. Until they are cleared to play, it's not even really a conversation worth having, even though the NHLPA has strongly voiced their objection to how the NHL has viewed this situation."
Carter Hart is a "non-starter" for the Edmonton Oilers as the five former Hockey Canada players acquitted of sexual assault remain ineligible to play in the NHL (w/ @frank_seravalli) pic.twitter.com/4FNDVaYRAA
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) July 29, 2025
It's unclear how long it'll take for the clash between the NHL and NHLPA to resolved, and for the NHL to reach it's final decision.
For what it's worth, Alexey Sopin, the general manager of the KHL's Avangard Omsk who added Michael McLeod to his roster last season, believes a solution will be reached sooner rather than later.
"I can’t give an exact date – we’ll wait a week or two. From our contacts with Michael, his agents and North American hockey specialists, we understand that the league will not delay the decision, and they should release it in the next week or two," Sopin told Championat in a recent interview. "That is, either they allow them to play, or they don’t allow them, or they allow them, but they recommend that clubs not sign a contract with them. I think that the league itself will not delay this decision, and in the near future we will find out everything."
For both sides, it would make the most sense to find common ground ahead of training camp and the start of the preseason, but that remains to be seen.
For now, Hart isn't quite on the table for the Oilers or any of the other NHL teams.