Carter Hart is set to return to the NHL after being acquitted in the Hockey Canada trial over the summer, but will it be with his hometown Edmonton Oilers?

A lot of connections link Hart to the Oilers. He’s a hometown product from the neighbouring Sherwood Park, Edmonton needs an upgrade between the pipes, and the Oilers have an extensive history of giving players second chances.

On the surface, it seems like an obvious match between the two, but that doesn’t appear to be the case, according to Oilers GM Stan Bowman.

The three-time Stanley Cup GM held his first press conference of the new season on Wednesday morning, where he mostly fielded questions on Connor McDavid’s contract status. However, The Athletic’s Daniel Nugent-Bowman decided to ask the Oilers GM about the team’s interest in Hart, to which he gave a blunt answer.

“We’re not looking at those types of situations,” Bowman said of Hart. “I like where [Stuart Skinner] is at with the way he trained and his outlook coming into the year.

“I think we’re going to go forward with that.”

Here is the full answer from Bowman (question asked by @DNBsports) https://t.co/GqdhzxD3R7 pic.twitter.com/iQGGgZbF7U

— Preston Hodgkinson (@NHLHodgkinson) September 17, 2025

The 27-year-old Hart was drafted in the second round, 48th overall, by the Philadelphia Flyers back in 2016. He is coming off three straight seasons where he posted a save percentage of .905 or higher, despite being on a rebuilding Flyers team.

To compare, Stuart Skinner put up a .896 save percentage while playing on a Stanley Cup-contending Oilers team. Though it was a disappointing year for the Edmonton native, it appears that Bowman and the rest of the Oilers believe that he can bounce back.

Bowman talked about his goaltending earlier in the press conference, where he reaffirmed that Skinner can be Edmonton’s starting goalie.

“I really like his attitude coming in,” Bowman said. “He trained hard this summer and looks to have a refreshed approach to the year with a new goalie coach.

“He and Peter [Aubry] formed a bond together, they spent a lot of time this summer talking hockey… He’s a talented goalie, and when he’s at his best, he’s really good.”

Bowman is right that Skinner is a very good goalie when he’s at the top of his game. The issue has been his consistency in staying at that high level. There have been too many stretches over the last few seasons where Skinner just doesn’t look good.

That inconsistency lost Skinner the net for a large bulk of last year’s run to the Stanley Cup Final, and it’s a gamble to roll with him as the Oilers’ starter once again.

Still, it makes sense why the Oilers aren’t interested in Hart. Bringing in a player like him would cause a lot of noise from both the media and the fanbase. While he was acquitted, the court of public opinion remains divided on whether he should be permitted back into the league.

In the end, the Oilers must have decided that the distraction of signing Hart outweighs the potential benefit of bringing him on board.