The five players involved in the high-profile Hockey Canada sexual assault trial will be welcomed back to the NHL in the 2026 season, the league announced Thursday.
Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Dillon Dubé, Cal Foote, and Alex Formenton will all be allowed to rejoin teams this winter. They will remain suspended from play until Dec. 1, but can sign with teams as early as Oct. 15.
The trial was the sport’s most public confrontation with its long history of sexual abuse.
A woman identified as E.M. claimed the five players sexually assaulted her in 2018 when they were members of Canada’s World Championship junior national team. Initial investigations did not substantiate her claims, but in 2022, she reached a settlement with Hockey Canada that sparked public outcry and led the national governing body and police to reopen investigations. Police announced charges against five players in Jan. 2024, which they all denied.
The trial lasted from April through June with two mistrials and was ultimately ended by Justice Maria Carroccia. She said in her July verdict that she did not find E.M. to be a credible witness and acquitted the men. At the time, the NHL said it would not immediately welcome back the players, saying that the allegations, “even if not determined to have been criminal, were very disturbing and the behavior at issue was unacceptable.” The NHLPA said that the league’s stance was “inconsistent” with the collective bargaining agreement and it would be addressing the situation.
On Thursday, the NHL said in a lengthy statement that following the trail and its own investigation, the league found the “conduct at issue falls woefully short of the standards and values that the League and its Member Clubs expect and demand.”
The league said its suspension takes into account the amount of time the players have already been away from the NHL—since Jan. 2024—and brings their total amount of time away to nearly two years.
“The League expects and requires that, going forward, each of the players will uphold the standards required of NHL players both on and off the ice,” the NHL concluded.
The NHLPA said it is “pleased” that the five players can now resume their NHL careers.
“Upon their full acquittal by Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia, we initiated discussions with the NHL regarding the players’ return to work,” the players association said in a statement Thursday. “To avoid a protracted dispute that would cause further delay, we reached the resolution that the league announced today. We now consider the matter closed and look forward to the players’ return.”
Four of the five players were on NHL rosters when charges were announced in Jan. 2024 and have been out of the league since.
Hart, a former goalkeeper for the Flyers, is considered the most in-demand of the five to make a return to the ice. Formenton, who was not on an NHL roster when Charges were announced, will become a Group 2 restricted free agent as a reserve for the Senators.
