The Hockey Canada sexual assault trial is over, with all five defendants being found not guilty. Now, the question of NHL eligibility for Carter Hart, Michael McLeod, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dube, and Cal Foote is on the table. The Athletic spoke with NHL sources, which prompted an NHLPA response, obtained by John Shannon.
“All five players are considered NHL unrestricted free agents after not receiving qualifying offers from their former teams upon the expiry of their previous contracts, but a league source told The Athletic on Thursday that the NHL will review the judge’s ruling and complete its own internal process before the players are eligible to sign contracts. There is no timetable for how long that may take,” Chris Johnston and Michael Russo wrote in The Athletic.
“The allegations made in this case, even if not determined to have been criminal, were very disturbing and the behavior at issue was unacceptable,” the league said in a statement Thursday. “We will be reviewing and considering the judge’s findings. While we conduct that analysis and determine next steps, the players charged in this case are ineligible to play in the league,” a source told Russo and Johnston.
That prompted an NHLPA response, which John Shannon posted on X on Friday afternoon.
From the NHLPA: pic.twitter.com/hxIfpptQjK
— John Shannon (@JShannonhl) July 25, 2025
“After missing more than a full season of their respective NHL career, they should now have the opportunity to return to work,” the statement reads. “The NHL's declaration that the Players are ‘ineligible' to play pending its further analysis of the Court's findings is inconsistent with the discipline procedures set forth in the CBA.”
What is next for Hockey Canada defendants?
All five Hockey Canada defendants must be cleared by the NHL to become unrestricted free agents. The NHLPA should fight for their eligibility after the not-guilty verdicts. While there will be fans that fight back against their teams signing these players because of the nature of the allegations, that does not mean they won't be signed.
Attention will immediately be placed on Hart, who was the Philadelphia Flyers' starting goalie before the trial began. Considering the importance of the goalie position, a contender could sign him if he is eligible. With the Hockey Canada trial behind him, the Players' Association will fight for his eligibility, along with the other four players.
Could the Hockey Canada defendants sign in the NHL before next season begins? There is plenty of cap space available in the league, leading toward a real possibility.
