Hart ready to make his return to the NHL

LAS VEGAS — Like or not, here he comes.Carter Hart is ready to return to the NHL after missing nearly two years following being embroiled in a legal battle in Canada where he and four other players from that country’s 2018 World Junior Championships team were charged with sexual assault of an Ontario woman.The five were acquitted of the charges in July and the NHL has permitted them to resume their careers. Of the five, only Hart has returned and he is doing so as a member of the Vegas Golden Knights, who can use the 27-year-old veteran goaltender’s experience while Adin Hill remains out with a groin injury suffered in late October.“I feel good,” Hart said after participating the entire practice Monday with the Golden Knights at City National Arena following a three-game conditioning stint in the American Hockey League with the Henderson Silver Knights. “It was nice to go down to Henderson and get some game action. I’ve just been practicing for the last year and a half so it was nice to get into a real game and see different scenarios that you can’t replicate in practice.”It appears Hart will be in net Tuesday when the Knights close out their four-game homestand at T-Mobile Arena against the Chicago Blackhawks. Coach Bruce Cassidy wouldn’t commit to that on Monday, saying he’ll make his decision Tuesday when the team has its morning skate.“We want him to be ready physically,” Cassidy said. “It’s been a while since he’s played in an NHL game so we have to take that into account.“The goal for him in Henderson was to get some of the rust off his game and you do that by playing. The reports from Henderson were good. He didn’t see a lot of shots the first game, there was a little more work for him in the next one and the other night, there were a couple of late goals scored on him. But he’s trying to get back into playing in games so that was the focus.”Following Tuesday’s game, Vegas hits the road for a five-game stretch beginning Friday night in New Jersey against the Devils, Akira Schmid’s old team. Schmid, who has seen the bulk of the action since Hill’s injury, doesn’t figure to be sitting long-term.“We need to be able to keep Akira sharp,” Cassidy said. “Fortunately the schedule works out that there’ll be opportunities for both of them.”To make room for Hart on the roster, the Golden Knights as expected, assigned Carl Lindbom to Henderson after Lindbom got his first NHL win Saturday, 4-3 over San Jose.

Hart, who signed a two-year, $4 million deal with Vegas in October, said he’s glad to be back in the NHL though there are those who aren't so thrilled, such as some women's rights groups and sexual assault victims. “It’s nice to be back in the mix with the boys,” he said. “I feel a lot better. Most of my work was done before October so to be able to have any own net and get some practice time and now to be here and get into a normal routine, it’s huge.”Yes, he’ll be playing against better players as he returns to life in the NHL. But he’ll also have a better group in front of him in Vegas than he had in Henderson.For me, preparation is everything,” he said. “I’ve worked my ass off to get back to this point. For me, I’ve done everything I can to be prepared if I get the call (Tuesday).“There’s a few things we’ve worked on, both back home (in Edmonton) with my coaches and here (in Vegas) The foundation of my game hasn’t changed but there’s been a few things, some little details we’ve worked on and some things that we’ve tightened up. We would do this every offseason but this has been an extended off-season.”Hart said physically, he’s fine.“I felt great in those games. I thought I might be a little leg-weary but I put a lot of work in with my trainer back home and I’m in great shape. I’m happy with where I’m at right now.”