Dillon Dube set for a return to the NHL.

It seems as though at least one team in the National Hockey League is not afraid of bringing a little controversy down on their heads over the summer.

While many NHL fans may not have been aware of it, former NHL player Dillon Dube quietly made his return to professional hockey this season following his acquittal in the highly publicized and highly controversial Hockey Canada sexual assault scandal. Although Dube did not play in the NHL, he would appear in 46 games for the Springfield Thunderbirds of the American Hockey League. Dube had a good showing there as well, with 20 goals and 17 assists for 37 points over 46 games, and it now sounds like a path to the NHL is very much in front of him.

The Springfield Thunderbirds are the AHL affiliate of the NHL's St. Louis Blues, and recently Blues insider Jeremy Rutherford revealed his belief that Dube will play in the NHL for the Blues next season. From Rutherford:

A league source says there’s a strong chance that the 27-year-old forward signs a free-agent contract with St. Louis and plays in the middle for the Blues.

Dube was of course acquitted of all charges in the case but that won't make his return any less controversial as we have already seen with other players who were involved in that very same scandal. Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Carter Hart returned this past season but not before he was allegedly chased out of Carolina by an angry Hurricanes' fan base that balked at the notion of signing the controversial goaltender.

More time will have passed between Hart's return and Dube's return, if he does indeed sign with the Blues, and it will be very interesting to see how fans respond to this move if it comes to pass.