NHL to reinstate players acquitted in Hockey Canada trial, make them eligible for games Dec. 1

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Hockey

Canada Trial

The five hockey players acquitted on sexual assault charges in the Hockey Canada trial will be eligible to return to the NHL later this year, the league announced Thursday.

Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Dillon Dubé and Cal Foote are officially unrestricted free agents, per the decision, and can sign contracts with any team. The contracts can be registered with the NHL on Oct. 15, and the players can appear in a game on Dec. 1. They can begin conditioning with a team on Nov. 15, according to a league source.