In a development that has driven a wedge between NHL fans, five players who were acquitted of sexual assault charges have been reinstated, making them officially eligible to sign contracts on October 15 onwards. Dillon Dube, Carter Hart, Cal Foote, Alex Formenton, and Michael McLeod can return to the ice.
“We have determined that the players will be eligible to sign an NHL contract no sooner than October 15, 2025, and eligible to play in NHL games no sooner than December 1, 2025, bringing their total time out of the League to nearly two years,” read the official NHL statement regarding the issue. As contentious as the decision may be, fans can expect the Toronto Maple Leafs to make a case for Dube.
Is Former Calgary Flames Forward Headed to Play for the Toronto Maple Leafs?
It is all just plain speculation at the moment; however, TSN’s Darren Dreger will be far from shocked if Brad Treliving ends up in the Dillon Dube sweepstakes. “I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Treliving and the Toronto Maple Leafs put their hat in the ring and take a decent swing at Dillon Dubé.”
Dreger insinuated that Treliving and Dube’s level of familiarity may positively affect any potential development in that direction. “There’s history there, of course. It goes back to the Calgary days between Dubé and Brad Treliving.” There is a good chance Dreger is referring to the time Treliving served as the general manager for the Calgary outfit from 2014 to 2023.
🚨 Ex-Calgary Flame Dillon Dubé could be a potential top-six option for the Maple Leafs this fall. Dubé and former New Jersey Devil Michael McLeod “are not going to have any problems finding homes, NHL homes.”
“I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Treliving and the Toronto Maple… pic.twitter.com/PndNlt6Cr5
— Leafslatest (@Leafslatest) September 15, 2025
The Maple Leafs have undergone a monumental change with Mitch Marner’s exit from the team. It is the first time in nine seasons that Marner won’t be donning the Maple Leafs jersey. Treliving has indeed made peace with the elite winger’s farewell; however, he still has a playoff-worthy team to build, and adding Dube could be a logical place to start.
“It doesn’t mean that Toronto is a frontrunner. It doesn’t mean that the Maple Leafs are going to land Dillon Dubé. But I mentioned earlier about their want for a top-six forward. The assumption is that a player like that could come in and fill that role,” stated Dreger, further strengthening his argument that the Toronto outfit could be in contention for the former Flames forward.
Dube’s last contract had a cap hit of $2.3 million. After his career was momentarily thrown off the rails, there is sufficient reason to believe that the forward will be okay with accepting a relatively modest offer to make a comeback, making it a financially lucrative possibility for the Leafs management to consider.
