Hurricanes No Longer Pursuing Michael McLeod, Carter Hart

Oct. 3: While the two sides were close to a deal, talks between the Hurricanes and McLeod are no longer ongoing and won’t result in him joining Carolina. The breakdown wasn’t compensation-related, Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic reports. It’s worth noting the club faced significant pushback from season ticket holders following Pagnotta’s report. In kind, they’re no longer a potential landing spot for goaltender Carter Hart, who was charged in the same case and was previously linked to Carolina.

Sep. 18: The Hurricanes are expected to register a contract for center Michael McLeod after he becomes eligible to sign with an NHL club on Oct. 15, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports Thursday. Until then, McLeod remains suspended by the league in relation to allegations of sexual assault made against him and four other NHL players that resulted in not-guilty verdicts at a trial in London, Ontario, in July. While he is eligible to sign then, he cannot return to play until Dec. 1.

“The events that transpired after the 2018 Hockey Canada Foundation Gala in London, Ontario, prior to these players’ arrival in the NHL, were deeply troubling and unacceptable,” the NHL said in its statement announcing the suspensions last week. “The League expects everyone connected with the game to conduct themselves with the highest level of moral integrity. And, in this case, while found not to have been criminal, the conduct of the players involved certainly did not meet that standard.”

McLeod, 27, was a first-round pick of the Devils and remained with the franchise up until he was formally charged with sexual assault in January 2024. He hasn’t played an NHL game since then and became an unrestricted free agent when New Jersey opted not to qualify him last year. He spent the 2024-25 season in the Kontinental Hockey League with Kazakhstan’s Barys Astana and Russia’s Avangard Omsk before returning to Canada this summer to stand trial.

He was a bottom-six faceoff specialist during his time with the Devils, going 58.3% on draws for his career to pair with 85 points in 287 appearances across six seasons. He managed a 6-13–19 scoring line in 35 games for Barys and Avangard last year.

The Hurricanes will now add him to a bottom-six mix that’s already filled out nicely. The path for McLeod to play an everyday center role will be muddy if the team rolls with Logan Stankoven as its second-line center – something head coach Rod Brind’Amour trialed in the first day of camp today after deploying him on the wing after acquiring the young forward from the Stars in last year’s Mikko Rantanen trade. That would leave Jordan Staal and Jesperi Kotkaniemi anchoring the third and fourth lines, meaning McLeod may have to shift to the wing to get back into an NHL lineup. He’ll be competing with names like William Carrier, Mark Jankowski, Tyson Jost, and Eric Robinson for minutes and a roster spot.