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When a London, Ont., judge ruled on Thursday that all five players involved in the 2018 Hockey Canada sexual assault trial were not guilty on all charges, the NHL found itself at a crossroads of moral decency. 

Should the players, who have already missed more than a year while fighting for their freedom, be allowed to resume their NHL careers? Or do they need to spend additional time away from the league for not living up to the ethical standards of being an NHLer?

So far, the league is choosing the latter. 

"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 NHL's statement said. "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."

This was the right decision, even if it wasn’t necessarily an easy one.

No, the easy decision would have been for the league to follow the court’s lead and clear the players, allowing them to get on with their lives and resume their NHL careers as if nothing had happened. The easy decision, which the NHL has chosen at times in the past, would have been to put winning above everything else.

After all, these are not just ordinary players. These were Canada’s best junior players in 2018. They were potential stars.

Michael McLeod and Cal Foote were first-round picks of the New Jersey Devils and Tampa Bay Lightning, respectively. Dillon Dube, who was the captain of the world junior team, had spent six seasons with the Calgary Flames. Alex Formenton was coming off an 18-goal season with the Ottawa Senators. Carter Hart was the No. 1 goalie for the Philadelphia Flyers.

All of them had bright futures. Considering they are in their mid-20s, they still do. And yet, their futures may no longer be in the NHL.

By ruling that all players were essentially “free to go,” McLeod, Foote, Dube, Formenton and Hart should theoretically be allowed re-sign with an NHL team of their choosing. Some, like Hart, were already being linked to several teams who are in dire need of goaltending.

But playing in the NHL is a privilege – not a right. And despite how badly the Edmonton Oilers might have needed an upgrade in net, the NHL is making it clear that there is a distinction between a court of law and the court of common decency. 

What the players did behind closed doors after a night of drinking at a Hockey Canada gala honoring their victory at the 2018 World Junior Championship might not have been criminal. But it was wrong on several levels. Regardless of consent, a young woman was taken advantage of and put in danger by a group of young men who became the poster boys for the toxic masculinity and negative culture that still pervades the sport. 

This move from the NHL sends a strong message, not only to the rest of the league – but to the fans as well. 

The only question is, how long can the NHL punish them? Is one year enough? Two years? Indefinitely?

Stan Bowman, Joel Quenneville and Al MacIsaac, who were ruled ineligible “as a result of their inadequate response upon being informed in 2010 of allegations that Chicago Blackhawks player Kyle Beach had been assaulted by the team’s video coach,” were reinstated on July 1, 2024, after spending two-and-a-half years out of the league.

Maybe that sentence will serve as a starting point. 

The NHLPA disagreed with this viewpoint, arguing that the NHL’s decision “is inconsistent with the discipline procedures set forth in the CBA.”

Obviously, nothing will be done in this situation until after the NHL is finished conducting its investigation. But it is probably safe to suggest that none of the players will be welcomed back into the league in time for the start of the season.

Based on the language that Gary Bettman once used to describe the players’ actions, calling them "abhorrent, reprehensible, horrific and unacceptable,” they may never be welcomed back.

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The Pittsburgh Penguins are currently in the middle of retooling their roster. Due to this, a number of their veteran players have been discussed in the rumor mill this off-season, including Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell, and Erik Karlsson. 

Although the possibility of the Penguins moving on from some of their notable players is certainly there, they also should not be against adding to their roster if a player can help them in the long term. Because of this, one player who they should seriously consider making a push for is Chicago Blackhawks forward Lukas Reichel. 

Reichel, 23, has been the subject of trade speculation all off-season. It is understandable, as the young forward has had trouble finding his fit with the Blackhawks. Although this is the case, the possibility for him to tap into his potential more is still there, so he could be a solid player for the Penguins to take a gamble on. 

Reichel appeared in 70 games this past season with the Blackhawks, where he posted eight goals, 14 assists, and 22 points. While these numbers do not necessarily stand out, the 2020 first-round pick also had seven goals and 15 points in just 23 games with the Blackhawks during the 2022-23 season. With this, it is fair to wonder if the 6-foot winger could blossom into a solid offensive contributor in the right situation. There is a reason why he was once considered one of the Blackhawks' top prospects.

Overall, with the Penguins needing more young, skilled players with good upside, Reichel is a player who they should seriously consider pursuing. Bringing him in would be a low-risk move for the Penguins. 

Ex-Penguins Defender Surprisingly Still A Free AgentIt has now been almost once month since free agency opened, so the majority of this year's notable unrestricted free agents (UFAs) have been signed. Although this is true, there are also a few interesting players who still have not found their new homes. 

Photo Credit: © Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images

The Pittsburgh Penguins have a slew of players who are either in the final or second-to-last year of their contract. 

Star center Evgeni Malkin is in the last year of his deal. He’s one of seven Penguins forwards who are UFAs after 2025-26. Three Pens defensemen are in the same boat. If you count players in the penultimate year of their contract, the number goes up to 10 forwards – including captain Sidney Crosby – and five defensemen, including star Erik Karlsson.

Penguins GM Kyle Dubas is retooling this team, yet Crosby, Malkin and star defenseman Kris Letang seem about as deeply embedded as it gets. What Dubas has created around them is an environment where players have every motivation to have a productive year while these leaders are still playing. The team isn't devoid of talent, but it does need players at both ends of the ice to play boom-or-bust hockey if Dubas isn't tearing down the roster.

That motivation applies to boosting their offensive production. This past season, only Crosby had a point-per-game average (1.14) of at least one, and the Penguins ranked 18th in goals-for. Those numbers won’t cut it in an NHL era where offense has been on the rise overall.

If Dubas trades Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust, who both recorded career-high point totals this past year, the offense will likely dry up more. But unless the Penguins get a trade return for each of them that makes the team much stronger down the line, those two will be motivated to find yet another gear. They each scored more than 30 goals in 2024-25, and Pittsburgh can do its best to take advantage of that as long as those players are around. 

Dubas is clearly hoping their depth players entering contract years or getting close to it – Kevin Hayes, Anthony Mantha, Danton Heinen, Noel Acciari, Blake Lizotte and Connor Dewar – wind up thriving in pursuit of a better payday sooner rather than later. As for Malkin, he would surely want to finish what could be his last season with the Penguins on a high note by trying to reach the 83 points he put up in 2022-23.

That said, don’t be fooled into thinking that just because Pittsburgh can’t put the puck in the net, they’re somehow going to be better on defense. The Penguins are worse on the back end, with 3.50 goals against per game, which ranked third-last in the NHL. This was not a good Pens team at either end of the ice.

Dubas obviously wants the team to improve up front, but if the Penguins want to surprise the NHL and compete for a playoff spot next season, they have to give their goalies a fighting chance – since the netminders couldn’t bail them out night in and night out. So they need those five defensemen who are at or near the end of their contract – Karlsson, Matt Dumba, Connor Clifton and Ryan Shea – to also step up by clamping down in their own zone and chipping in some scoring.

For much of this roster, the knowledge that their time in Pittsburgh could be almost done should provide a sense of urgency to their game. 

Crosby will be a fixture as a Penguin for as long as he wants to be, but you can light a bigger fire under him if he knows his teammates are giving it all they’ve got. That’s what the Penguins should hope this collection of end-of-contract players will do.

When Dubas took over in June 2023, he tried to put together a team that would compete for the Stanley Cup right away. That plan didn’t work out. So last year, Dubas shifted the gaze of Penguins fans from the here and now to tomorrow. Dubas hasn’t hit home runs with every move he makes, but you can’t accuse him of being satisfied with the status quo.

However, in trying and failing to return to the playoffs in the last three seasons, the Pens have demonstrated how far they are from being a contender. They could be further from it if the players on the final legs of their contracts, including their franchise legends, don’t find a way to get a hot streak going that powers them farther than most NHL followers can expect.

Teams have overachieved their roster on paper time and again, and Pittsburgh should hope to join that list. They could make the most of the here and now while getting started on developing the core of tomorrow.

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