Following a June 2018 incident in London, Ont., four of the five Canadian world junior players charged with sexual assault have been released by their NHL teams after not receiving a qualifying offer before Sunday’s deadline.
The Philadelphia Flyers’ Carter Hart, Calgary Flames’ Dillon Dubé, and New Jersey Devils’ Michael McLeod and Cal Foote are now unrestricted free agents. They had been on paid leave since late January when they were ordered to face sexual assault charges from the London Police Service.
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A trial date is still pending. Each team had the option to issue a qualifying offer by the deadline to retain the players’ rights, but all three teams opted not to do so.
The NHL Deputy Commissioner confirmed that the players are free to sign with another team immediately, although the uncertainty surrounding their situations may make it challenging.
Discussions between the NHL and NHL Players’ Association about freezing the players’ status until a trial were unsuccessful. Some players may consider moving their careers to Europe, similar to Alex Formenton who played in Switzerland for the last two seasons.
Formenton’s NHL rights will remain with the Ottawa Senators for several years due to a previous qualifying offer. The players are facing charges from an incident at the Delta London Armouries Hotel following a Hockey Canada Gala in 2018.
McLeod faces two counts of sexual assault, while Dubé, Foote, Formenton, and Hart each face one count.
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(Photo: Andy Devlin / Getty Images)