Goalie Carter Hart, recalled by the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday, is eligible to make his NHL return on Tuesday night against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Hart’s league-mandated suspension ended on Monday, making him eligible to play in an NHL game for the first time in nearly two years. He is one of five former members of Canada’s World Juniors team found not guilty of sexual assault charges at trial in July. The league then suspended Hart and the others after deciding that their conduct did not meet “the highest level of moral integrity” standard the league expects from its players.

Following Monday’s practice, Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy wouldn’t commit to Hart starting on Tuesday, but Hart hinted it could be an option.

“I think for me, preparation is everything,” Hart said following Monday’s skate. “I’ve worked my a– off to get back to this point, and for me, the key to life is preparation. I’ve done everything I can to be prepared, and I’ll be prepared if I get the call tomorrow.”

Hart spent the final two weeks of his suspension on a conditioning loan with the Golden Knights’ AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights. He played in three games for the Silver Knights, going 1-2-0 while allowing nine goals on 56 shots for a .839 save percentage.

“Reports (from Henderson) were that he played well,” Cassidy said. “In the last game, he had a couple of unlucky goals late. The purpose of Henderson was to get him back into live reps. He can practice with us, with NHL shooters, but traffic around the net, screens, and all of that kind of stuff, sometimes can be hard to replicate. We’re less worried about the results, and more about getting reps and getting used to that stuff.”

If Hart plays on Tuesday, it will be 22 months and 12 days since his last NHL appearance, on Jan. 20, 2024, for the Philadelphia Flyers. Hart signed a two-year, $4 million contract with Vegas in October.

“I’ve just been practicing for a year and a half, so it was nice to get into a real game,” Hart said. “You get different scenarios that you can’t replicate in practice … broken plays, screens, tips, layered traffic, things like that. The first game, I was a little nervous. The second game was good. The third game, there were some weird bounces. It was kind of a weird game, but it just felt good to be playing again.”

Hart played in 227 games over six seasons with the Flyers, going 96-93-29 with a .906 save percentage and -11.92 goals saved above expected.

“Obviously, there will be nerves,” Hart said of his eventual return. “I get nerves before every game, but that’s just because I care so much. At the end of the day, those nerves turn into excitement. It’s a game I’ve played my whole life. I’ve played a lot of hockey in the NHL. I’ve been here before. I haven’t played in a while, but it’s going to feel good to get back out there, just get back playing again and get things rolling here in Vegas.”

The Golden Knights need reinforcements in the crease. They’ve been without starting goalie Adin Hill since he exited the Oct. 20 game against Calgary with a lower-body injury. In his absence, Akira Schmid and rookie Carl Lindbom have shared the net. During that span, Vegas has gone 6-6-6 with a team save percentage of .876 (eighth worst in the NHL).

Vegas reassigned Lindbom to the AHL on Sunday, setting up a rotation between Schmid and Hart until Hill returns from injury.

“Akira has played well too, so we have to be mindful that he has to stay sharp,” Cassidy said. “I’m sure you’ll see a lot of both goalies, but Carter has waited a long time to play, so he’s definitely going to get his share of starts.”

Following Tuesday’s home game against Chicago, the Golden Knights go on a five-game road trip to New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia and Columbus.

“We’re going to have to be patient, no matter what the result is,” Cassidy said. “We don’t know what that will be. We’re all hoping he’ll go out there and be terrific his first game, but missing that much time, I’m going to expect rust. In order to shake off the rust, you have to play, so he’s going to get his fair share of starts, and hopefully he gets a little more comfortable every time.”