The Calgary Flames are looking to start the season free of distractions, and that means the roster will look different from last year. Dillon Dube was one of the players on last season's team who will most likely be on the team this year. He was one of the five players who were acquitted in July 2025 of sexual assault charges from an incident in 2018 when they were on Canada's world junior team.
General manager Craig Conroy was asked if the Flames were interested in bringing back Dube, and he replied with “at this point, no,” according to the Canadian press.
“I think Dillon probably just needs a fresh start,” Conroy said.
Dube was selected in the second round of the 2016 NHL Draft by the Flames. Over six seasons with the team, he had 57 goals and 70 assists in 325 games.
An Ontario Superior Court justice found the five players not guilty, and the NHL made a statement saying that they were eligible to sign a contract.
“The five hockey players acquitted on sexual assault charges in the Hockey Canada trial will be eligible to return to the NHL later this season, a league source told The Athletic on Thursday,” Chris Johnston and Sean Gentile reported. “Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dube, and Cal Foote are officially unrestricted free agents, per the decision, and can sign contracts with any team. The contracts can be registered with the NHL on Oct. 15, and the players can begin conditioning with a team on Nov. 15 and appear in a game on Dec. 1.”
With Dube likely not returning to the Flames, Michael McLeod is set to join the Carolina Hurricanes. It will be interesting to see if any teams will be interested in Dube, especially with teams ramping up training camp.
