Here’s the next 2018 Hockey Canada trial player moving toward a contract

It’s been several weeks since Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Michael McLeod, Cal Foote, and Dillon Dube were found not guilty on all charges in the 2018 Hockey Canada sexual assault trial, but we have kept hearing their names in our newsfeed. Despite the verdict, all five players remain ineligible to return to the NHL as the league continues its own investigation.

In the meantime, the players has been forced to look overseas to keep their professional careers alive. Formenton recently signed a three-and-a-half-month deal in Switzerland. The Ottawa Senators still hold Formenton’s NHL rights, while the likes of Hart, Dube, Foote and McLeod are all unrestricted free agents.

Now, McLeod could be the next name to ink a contract. According to MatchTV via Jonathan Bailey on X, Avangard Omsk general manager Alexei Sopin confirmed that the former New Jersey Devils forward recently asked for a few more days before deciding whether to rejoin the KHL club. The delay reportedly stems from McLeod wanting clarity on his NHL status before committing to another year in Russia.

No contract announcement were made and so, perhaps, McLeod feels he has a chance at another shot in the NHL.

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly provided a small update earlier this week, telling reporters at the NHL/NHLPA Player Media Tour in Las Vegas that a decision on the players’ futures is on the horizon.

“I don’t have an update,” Daly said. “But I do anticipate a decision in the relatively near future.”

The question remains whether “relatively near” means before the puck drops on the 2025–26 regular season. Until then, the uncertainty leaves players like McLeod weighing risky decisions: wait for the NHL’s green light, or commit to another season abroad.

For now, all signs point to McLeod being the next domino to fall. Whether that’s back in the KHL or elsewhere in Europe, the former Devils center may soon follow Formenton’s lead and take the ice again.