NHL Clears Five Acquitted Players to Sign Contracts, Sets Return Date
Dillon Dube, Cal Foote, Alex Formenton, Carter Hart and Michael McLeod will be eligible to sign Oct. 15 and to play beginning Dec. 1, the league said Thursday.
The National Hockey League announced Thursday that five players who were acquitted of sexual assault charges stemming from an incident in 2018 will be reinstated to eligibility and may sign NHL contracts starting Oct. 15, with the earliest date they can appear in games set for Dec. 1.
The players named by the league are Dillon Dube, Cal Foote, Alex Formenton, Carter Hart and Michael McLeod. A judge in London, Ontario, found them not guilty a little more than a month ago, clearing the legal barrier to their return to professional play.
The league's announcement restores the five players' eligibility under NHL rules, allowing teams to negotiate and sign standard player contracts beginning Oct. 15. The Dec. 1 date establishes when the players may be placed on rosters and participate in league games, according to the statement.
The charges against the players related to an alleged 2018 incident that drew prolonged legal proceedings and public attention. Their acquittals, handed down by a judge in London, Ontario, removed the criminal convictions that had been an obstacle to NHL roster status.
NHL decisions on player eligibility typically follow the resolution of legal matters; the league's statement did not include additional disciplinary measures or conditions tied to the reinstatement. Teams considering signing any of the five will face roster and salary-cap considerations as they integrate potential new additions ahead of the season.
The timing gives clubs a window in the weeks after Oct. 15 to negotiate terms and make roster plans before the Dec. 1 eligibility date. How quickly any of the five players returns to game action will depend on whether they sign contracts and how teams choose to deploy them.
The league did not provide further comment beyond the reinstatement dates. The five players and their representatives had previously declined public comment during legal proceedings; team interest and possible contract offers remained unreported in the league announcement.
This decision follows judicial findings and represents an administrative step by the NHL that permits the players to resume their professional careers in the league if teams elect to sign them.