Hart likely has best shot at NHL return among acquitted players, analysts say

Philadelphia Flyers' Carter Hart plays during an NHL hockey game, Monday, Jan. 8, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Of the five hockey players acquitted in a London, Ont. sexual assault trial, Carter Hart appears to have the strongest chance of returning to the NHL, according to sports analysts.

Hart’s former team, the Philadelphia Flyers, has yet to indicate whether they will pursue a new contract with the goaltender, though several teams are reportedly monitoring his situation with interest.

TSN radio host Matt Cauz said teams may be interested in Hart as a backup goalie, particularly those seeking insurance for a deep playoff run.

“If you go and look at his career, this guy was a consistent starter,” said Cauz. “In fact, his career numbers are better than what the average was for a goaltender in the 2024-25 season.”

Players Eligible to Sign Starting Oct. 15

The NHL announced Thursday that Hart, along with Michael McLeod, Dillon Dube, Cal Foote and Alex Formenton, will be eligible to return to play on Dec. 1 and can sign with teams beginning Oct. 15.

All five players were charged with sexual assault stemming from an encounter with a woman in a London, Ont. hotel room after a 2018 gala celebrating the Canadian World Junior team’s gold medal. McLeod faced an additional charge of being a party to the offence. A judge acquitted all players of the charges in July.

The league says the players’ total time away will amount to two years, raising questions about their ability to perform after such an extended absence from professional hockey. Some fans also disagree with the NHL’s decision to let them play while others are in full support of their return.

Talent vs PR Liability

“It’ll certainly be difficult for a lot of them to come back to play in the NHL, partially because none of these guys, except for Carter Hart, was a star,” Cauz said. He noted “These guys aren’t talented enough where you’re willing to maybe take the PR hit.”

Sports lawyer Greg Gilhooly, who survived sexual abuse by junior hockey coach Graham James, echoed that assessment.

“A star goaltender will have no difficulty playing in the NHL. A borderline player will have an abundantly difficult time playing in the NHL because teams won’t want to deal with the potential repercussion and backlash,” Gilhooly said.

Gilhooly acknowledged the league faces a challenging situation, as the players are legally innocent but the incident may reflect poorly on their character in some eyes.

The NHL Players Association said in a statement that it considers the matter closed following the acquittals and looks “forward to the players’ return.”

Senators Remain Silent on Formenton’s Future

The Ottawa Senators hold the rights to Formenton, who recently returned to playing in Switzerland for HC Ambri-Piotta.

“It feels amazing to get back on the ice. It feels really good,” Formenton said in a video posted on social media, making some of his first hockey-related comments in years.

Asked if the Senators would want to bring Formenton back, a spokesperson wrote to CTV News and said the team was aware of the NHL’s ruling but would have “no further comment” at this time.

Allison Forsyth, an advocate for safe sport with Generation Safe and a former Olympic skier and sexual abuse survivor, expressed disappointment with the NHL’s decision. But she also believes people can make mistakes and right their wrongs.

“My curiosity is around do they own and will they own what they did, regardless of the criminal decision,” Forsyth said. “I think they should own it and just stand up and say what we did and what is happening in hockey is wrong.”

Forsyth said she will be watching closely to see which teams sign the players, viewing it as “a very strong message that they’re sending to their community around what they would accept as behaviour within their organization.”

Still Gilhooly says the judge ultimately found that the incident in question was consensual group sex. “If the NHL is going to start suspending all participants in consensual group sex, there are going to be a large number of NHLers suspended.”