Only 3 of 5 players highlighted as NHL returns after Not Guilty verdicts in 2018 WJC trial

In the wake of the not guilty verdicts in the sexual assault trial involving five players from the 2018 Canadian World Junior hockey team, the NHL declared on Thursday evening the players currently ineligible to play in the league while it reviews the judge’s findings and decides on next steps. The NHL said Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dubé and Cal Foote would be ineligible to play despite the players being found not guilty of all charges in an encounter with a woman in a hotel room seven years ago. The NHL, in its statement, stated the allegations in the case were “very disturbing,” even if not deemed criminal. The league also called the behaviour of the players “unacceptable”. The NHLPA has issued a strong response to the ban, saying that its players should “have the opportunity to return to work.”

If the players can be allowed back following when the league determines how it will proceed, especially after the push back from the NHLPA, Michael Russo of the Athletic believes only three of the five players have a shot back in the NHL.

"In the meantime, there are certainly NHL executives with interest in signing some of the players.

“A number of NHL teams could use an upgrade in goal, and Hart, 26, is a former No. 1 goaltender who showed flashes of great potential with the Philadelphia Flyers. McLeod and Dubé are forwards with multiple NHL seasons under their belts, with the New Jersey Devils and Calgary Flames, respectively.

“Returns are less likely for Foote, a defenseman who previously bounced between the AHL and NHL, and Formenton, who spent parts of two seasons in Switzerland before stepping away from hockey in September of 2024 to take a job in construction.”

McLeod, Hart, Dubé and Foote were active NHL players at the time of their arrests in 2024, which came days after all four players were granted leave from their respective teams. Formenton, an Ottawa Senators draft pick, has not played in the NHL since 2022. All five were technically free agents or unsigned as of the verdict.

While Hart, Foote and Formenton did not play professionally during the 2024-25 season, McLeod and Dubé spent last season in the Kontinental Hockey League, playing for teams based in Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan.

What is next for all five players, and now especially Hart, McLeod and Dube, who are highlighted as the ones who we could see soon enough back in an NHL uniform?