The Carolina Hurricanes won’t sign center Michael McLeod or goalie Carter Hart, two of five Canadian hockey players acquitted over the summer in a high-profile sexual assault case.
McLeod and Hart along with Dillon Dube, Cal Foote and Alex Formenton were members of Canada’s 2018 world junior team, when they were accused of sexual assault linked to an encounter in a London, Ontario, hotel room. In July, a judge acquitted all five men, finding that prosecutors could not meet the onus of proof for the charges.
The players became eligible to sign with NHL teams this week as
part of the NHL’s reinstatement process. They had been ineligible to play in the NHL since February 2024, when the charges were filed.
A source told WRAL Sports on Friday that the Hurricanes had decided not to sign McLeod, in whom they had indicated interest, and that fan resistance did not play a role in that decision.
“Whenever somebody’s available, we’re always in the mix,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said on Friday morning. “If someone is there to make you better, you always want to investigate it.”
He called the McLeod talk “speculation,” and he said, “Nothing was imminent.”
McLeod, 27, was a first-round pick of the New Jersey Devils
and remained with the franchise until he was formally charged with sexual
assault in January 2024.
McLeod hasn’t played an NHL game since then and became an
unrestricted free agent when New Jersey opted not to qualify him in 2024.
99.9 The Fan host Adam Gold said the Hurricanes also
considered signing Hart. However, Gold said Hart is uninterested in signing with
Carolina.