NHL suspends players acquitted in 2018 sexual assault trial until Dec. 1

[LGR4GM]

https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/sources-nhl-suspends-players-acquitted-in-2018-sexual-assault-trial-until-dec-1/

Players can be signed by NHL teams on October 15th.

 

[LGR4GM]

Michael McLeod, 6'2" C, Ryan's brother

Dillon Dube, 5'11" LW

Cal Foote, 6'4" RHD

Alex Formenton, 6'3" LW

Carter Hart, 6'2" G

Edited 17 hours ago by LGR4GM

[dudacek]

Hart's going to Edmonton. It's inevitable, right?

[Palm Trees And Taxes]

If the Sabres sign any of these players I am done

[ponokasabre]

54 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Michael McLeod, 6'2" C, Ryan's brother

Dillon Dube, 5'11" LW

Cal Foote, 6'4" RHD

Alex Formenton, 6'3" LW

Carter Hart, 6'2" G

This will be a very divisive topic.

If we are looking at it from a clearly hockey perspective. Michael McLeod (Ryans Brother) would be a big add, he is a big mean physical player, hits, fights, and i believe plays center too

I mean honestly Hart would be an upgrade over Lyon and whoever signs him will have a huge chance at a number 1 goalie and a good number 1 goalie being added.

Dillon Dube was a bit of a spark plug if I remember correctly, kinda in that Connor Garland mode, but I don't think as offensively gifted as Garland.

Cal Foote was a guy I clamored for for a long time, he is Adam Foote's son i believe? was a first rounder, hasn't really been able to find a footing anywhere and has bounced around teams as a 5/6/7 guy. Would he be an upgrade over Bryson or Jones, I would say so. But I would think some team would offer him full playing time 

Alex Formenton I dont know much about to be honest, I know he played for Ottawa but I dont remember if he was overly physical or not, or skilled.

 

So again, if we are keeping this strictly about the hockey, I would welcome Mcloed with open arms. Hart I would absolutley welcome as that would be an amazing hedge against a UPL downturn, although I doubt he would choose us, as there are teams that need goaltending bad and someone would probably be willing to give the net full time, which we probably couldnt offer, unless he earned it. I'd also consider signing Foote if it meant jettisoning one of Bryson or Jones, preferably Bryson out the door. 

Edited 16 hours ago by ponokasabre

[Weave]

I purposely avoided all the sordid details, but wasn’t McLeod exposed as the biggest ***** bag in the group, or am I misremembering?

[JoeSchmoe]

14 minutes ago, Weave said:

I purposely avoided all the sordid details, but wasn’t McLeod exposed as the biggest ***** bag in the group, or am I misremembering?

Tough to say. Given the evidence, the judge sided with the players testimony.

Here's the official transcript.

https://www.canlii.org/en/on/onsc/doc/2025/2025onsc4319/2025onsc4319.html

 

[Flashsabre]

There is a real confusion right know on whether these guys teams still have their rights or not.

It’s a complicated situation. Some young guys made bad decisions. They were judged in a court of law to be innocent. We don’t know exactly what happened and what didn’t. The judge found the woman to be unconvincing.

Should the players be blackballed or given a second chance? The NHL is giving them another chance. Coach Q and Bowman got second chances.

I don’t need the Sabres to sign any of them. McLeod’s brother would be the only one I would be interested in.

Hart I think will have plenty of suitors.

[shrader]

29 minutes ago, Flashsabre said:

There is a real confusion right know on whether these guys teams still have their rights or not.

It’s a complicated situation. Some young guys made bad decisions. They were judged in a court of law to be innocent. We don’t know exactly what happened and what didn’t. The judge found the woman to be unconvincing.

Should the players be blackballed or given a second chance? The NHL is giving them another chance. Coach Q and Bowman got second chances.

I don’t need the Sabres to sign any of them. McLeod’s brother would be the only one I would be interested in.

Hart I think will have plenty of suitors.

These suspensions were from an agreement between the league and the PA.  If there's any question about rights, I'd imagine that was addressed in the agreement as well.

[GASabresIUFAN]

2 hours ago, Flashsabre said:

They were judged in a court of law to be innocent.

https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/sources-nhl-suspends-players-acquitted-in-2018-sexual-assault-trial-until-dec-1/

They weren't proven innocent.  They were acquitted of the charges.  These are different things.  An acquittal means that the prosecutor in the eyes of the judge or jury (depending on the type of case) failed to prove their case against "beyond a reasonable doubt."  It's the same criminal standard in the both the US and Canada.  This doesn't mean they are "innocent."  It just means that there wasn't enough evidence to convict them.  Think the OJ case.  Does anyone really believe OJ didn't kill Nicole or Ron Goldman?

The standard in a civil case is significantly less.  

I don't think we'll ever actually know the full details of what happened.  

What we can say is that were acquitted.  We can also say that the original investigation in 2019 concluded that there was insufficient evidence to charge the players, but was this investigation tainted by Hockey Canada? We can also say that the NHL did their own investigation and found that the players didn't act criminally, but their actions failed to meet the NHL's moral integrity standard.  

I think this is a nearly impossible situation.  Do we forgive and give these men a second chance?  I think each NHL team must decide for themselves.  They need to carefully look at the role each player played in the event and I think they need to look at who the players are today.  I wouldn't be surprised if a couple of teams take a chance on a couple of these guys.  I don't think McLeod will be one of them.  

Edited 10 hours ago by GASabresIUFAN

[French Collection]

I think Edmonton takes a run at Hart. Goaltending has been their weakness and McJesus is a pending UFA. Two SCF in a row.

They recently brought in E Kane, so they are not scared of any backlash.

[JohnC]

The legal process ran its course ending in acquittals. The legal standard was applied in the trial. And the outcome was acquittals for the accused. Because of the trial, a clearer picture of what happened in this tawdry episode is better known. The players should be allowed to place themselves on the NHL market. When teams are preparing their scouting reports on prospects character considerations are part of the evaluation. I wouldn't want any of them representing my organization. But that doesn't mean that they should be excluded from the profession if other teams are interested in them. 

[Flashsabre]

9 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/sources-nhl-suspends-players-acquitted-in-2018-sexual-assault-trial-until-dec-1/

They weren't proven innocent.  They were acquitted of the charges.  These are different things.  An acquittal means that the prosecutor in the eyes of the judge or jury (depending on the type of case) failed to prove their case against "beyond a reasonable doubt."  It's the same criminal standard in the both the US and Canada.  This doesn't mean they are "innocent."  It just means that there wasn't enough evidence to convict them.  Think the OJ case.  Does anyone really believe OJ didn't kill Nicole or Ron Goldman?

The standard in a civil case is significantly less.  

I don't think we'll ever actually know the full details of what happened.  

What we can say is that were acquitted.  We can also say that the original investigation in 2019 concluded that there was insufficient evidence to charge the players, but was this investigation tainted by Hockey Canada? We can also say that the NHL did their own investigation and found that the players didn't act criminally, but their actions failed to meet the NHL's moral integrity standard.  

I think this is a nearly impossible situation.  Do we forgive and give these men a second chance?  I think each NHL team must decide for themselves.  They need to carefully look at the role each player played in the event and I think they need to look at who the players are today.  I wouldn't be surprised if a couple of teams take a chance on a couple of these guys.  I don't think McLeod will be one of them.  

Good point. I should have said “not convicted”.

[Pimlach]

What a mess.  I read some of that court transcript.  Pretty wild.