Breaking: NHL Rules on Fate of 5 Acquitted Players from Sexual Assault Trial

The NHL and NHLPA have agreed on the fate of the five players who were acquitted in the sexual assault trial over the 2018 Hockey Canada incident: They will be suspended from play until December 1st, but can sign with any team as of October 15th, just a week after the regular season begins.

Sources: five players acquitted in the 2018 World Juniors trial will be suspended until Dec. 1; can sign with interested NHL teams on Oct 15https://t.co/vOHp3zo4nL
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) September 11, 2025

Elliotte Friedman dropped the news with a report on Sportsnet. The five players, who have been on the inactive list since last season, were acquitted by a judge in a London, Ontario trial in July. The sexual assault charges had stemmed from an incident at a 2018 World Juniors Hockey Canada event.

Carter Hart, Michael McLeod, Dillon Dubé, Cal Foote and Alex Formenton can all resume their careers in the NHL with any interested teams as of December 1st.

Friedman writes that Bettman met with the players sometime in August, after their acquittal.

The most likely to find work the quickest will be Hart, the former Philadelphia Flyers' No. 1 goalie. Many teams are in need of legitimate help between the pipes, and it's fairly certain he will be signed soon after the October 15th date of eligibility.

Formenton has already signed a 3 1/2 month contract to resume play in Switzerland, but is able to get out of the contract in December.