Luke DeCock: The Hurricanes may sign Michael McLeod, no matter what you think

RALEIGH, N.C. — If you are surprised that the Carolina Hurricanes may offer a contract to a player who is currently suspended by the NHL for his role in a sex scandal, you just haven’t been paying close enough attention.

And not to Michael McLeod and the crimes of which he was accused and found not guilty — which have kept him out of the league since February 2024 and captivated the attention of Canada for years — but to the Hurricanes themselves.

For better or for worse, this is the team that signed Tony DeAngelo over the vocal objections of many fans. This is the team that let two beloved broadcasters walk. This is the team that rebranded Pride Night this season as “Hockey is for Everyone Night.” This is the team that’s going to do whatever it thinks will help it win regardless of what some or all of its fans think, regardless of whatever feel-good stuff it posts on social media.

That’s neither a criticism nor a compliment nor a complaint. It’s just the reality of the situation.

The Hurricanes, from owner Tom Dundon on down, think if they keep winning, people may complain but they’ll still keep coming. That’s an organizational philosophy.

And nothing speaks to that more than the potential signing of McLeod, the former New Jersey Devils first-round draft pick who was found not guilty on sexual-assault charges after a two-month trial of five Team Canada players this summer. The case, dating back to 2018, was revived amid concerns that the original investigation was mishandled, with the five players accused of sexually assaulting a woman in a hotel room in London, Ontario. McLeod alone faced an additional charge of being party to an offense, a charge typically levied in murder trials.

At the end of a bench trial — and a mistrial and a second dismissed jury — the presiding judge said she found the accuser’s claims not to be credible and acquitted the five players, McLeod included, on all charges.

Nevertheless, the NHL said the players would remain suspended through Dec. 1: “The conduct at issue falls woefully short of the standards and values that the League and its Member Clubs expect and demand.”

“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 league’s statement read. “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.”

The five players can currently agree to terms with teams and sign contracts Oct. 15, which the Hurricanes have explored with McLeod, although that decision is unlikely to come immediately.

The Hurricanes see a former first-round pick available for nothing, a right-shot center who wins faceoffs, now acquitted of the charges against him. Dundon made his billions in part by buying distressed assets like this, especially since entering the world of pro sports. He bought the Hurricanes from a broke Peter Karmanos, the Portland Trail Blazers at an estate sale and a football minor league that ran out of cash (only to shut it down). This is his metier.

Do the Hurricanes need McLeod? He’s a bottom-six player who brings some useful tools to a Stanley Cup contender. The Hurricanes probably wouldn’t be trading for him, let’s put it that way. This is a choice.

Once again “identity” would become a load-bearing member within the dressing room. The belief is the culture Rod Brind’Amour has built is strong enough to absorb any disruption, and so far that’s held true. Hockey players tend to forgive each other for any sins.

The real question is whether Hurricanes’ fans would forgive the team for signing McLeod?

That’s a question everyone may have to ask themselves, because the Hurricanes would be wagering that whatever fuss fans make now, they will still be in their seats 41 nights a year. And the team has more than a little evidence to demonstrate that its fans are all bark and no bite.

For all the hubbub over the DeAngelo signing, for all the ticket-holders who wanted meetings with their reps, the Hurricanes sustained no lasting damage. DeAngelo kept his nose clean here, got along with his teammates and all was forgotten and forgiven. The departures of Chuck Kaiton and John Forslund, while lamented, didn’t measurably alter the fan experience. The radio simulcast works fine. Mike Maniscalco was already within the organization.

But DeAngelo was a Jersey loudmouth, not someone suspended by the NHL for his participation in a “deeply troubling and unacceptable” situation. Broadcasters are accessories to the product. The Hurricanes would be crossing a different line here.

There’s also the question of optics beyond fan reaction, at a time when the Hurricanes are working closely with the Centennial Authority to renovate the Lenovo Center using tourism-tax money, and negotiating with the city, county and state over the development of the 80 acres outside the arena. This isn’t a time to be attracting the attention of politicians, let alone activists. The Hurricanes need all the friends they can get.

A major league sports team is a business, but it is also a public trust. If you’re going to ask taxpayers for land and money — for arena renovations, for infrastructure, for development, even to build an MLB stadium — you need to remain in good standing with the community. There are people who have never attended a Hurricanes game who are going to notice if the team signs someone recently on trial for sexual assault.

They may not know Sebastian Aho from Seth Jarvis, but they would sure as hell know the name Michael McLeod.

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