Emerging McLeod’s Devils Career Could Be Put On Ice
Even the feel-good stories from this meh Devils season have the potential for tragic endings.
New Jersey center Michael McLeod, who was absent from today’s practice, “requested and (was) granted indefinite leave of absence,” according to a team statement. Defenseman Cal Foote, who had been an emergency call-up from AHL Utica to help plug the holes in the injury-depleted unit, was also included in the statement. Both Devils players were members of Team Canada at the 2018 U-20 World Junior Championships in Buffalo, as was goalie Carter Hart, who was similarly granted leave by the Flyers.
Unfortunately, Canada’s gold medal at the WJC won’t be remembered as much as the aftermath. Following a Hockey Canada Foundation event at a London, Ontario hotel, a woman alleged that she was sexually assaulted by eight players, settling a lawsuit in May 2022.
That was only Act II. The London police department has been investigating the incident for years. According to a report in Wednesday’s The Globe and Mail, five people were instructed to surrender to the authorities.
It doesn’t take a mathematician to add up the numbers. McLeod may be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, but in the court of public opinion, he is already facing serious repercussions. He’s going to have a hard enough time getting his next contract this summer as a pending restricted free agent just for his alleged association in the matter. His “involvement,” or lack thereof, will ultimately determine his NHL future. As it should.
And it would be a real punch to the Devils’ gut if all of McLeod’s hard work since being selected by New Jersey No. 12 overall in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft is put on ice. He has improved in all aspects of his game beyond developing into the NHL’s No. 1 faceoff man (50 draws minimum) at an unreal 65% win rate this season.
Where I used to worry that McLeod would forever be that tweener type—big and fast enough to dominate at the junior level but whose physicality and speed were easily matched by pros—he appeared to “get it” during the Devils’ playoff run last year. He scored a magnificent shorthanded goal to jumpstart New Jersey’s 4-0 defeat of the rival Rangers in Game 7 of the first round, beating New York’s star goalie Igor Shesterkin with a deke to his backhand.
That play seemed to instill self-confidence in his hands, as McLeod has been more disposed to carrying pucks forward this season as opposed to his past tendency to simply dump pucks in and chase. He’s also finishing better around the net front, reaching the 10-goal mark in New Jersey’s 37th game of the season, topping his previous career-high of nine goals.
As it turned out, McLeod’s offensive ascension has only helped his defensive reputation. The Devils are outscoring the opposition, 35-22, with McLeod on the ice at 5-on-5 this season, which is the best goals for percentage among the team’s forwards (10-game minimum), per NaturalStatTrick.com. Remember, the Devils (24-18-3) are not the juggernauts of last season, especially with All-Star Jack Hughes out for 13 games and counting with an undisclosed upper body injury. McLeod has had to step up in his absence, and the results over the last eight games haven’t always been pretty.
Still, The McLeod Effect is nearing what used to be said about Travis Zajac. When a struggling player needed a boost, former Devils Head Coach John Hynes would put him on Zajac’s line. Thanks to McLeod’s diligence, the Devils embattled wing Alexander Holtz, who turned 22 on Tuesday, has had his most effective stretch of his career during the 113-plus minutes HC Lindy Ruff allowed the duo to share the ice.
Alas, all that has been shoved into the trunk for now, even if McLeod’s name has never been mentioned in any report of the incident and there still hasn’t been any official accusation. A lengthy article in The Athletic got first-hand accounts of “heavy drinking” and some inappropriate comments made by unnamed players at the event. The details of the alleged crime were gathered from the victim’s statement of claim, without disclosing individual perpetrators. A lot of the vitriol in the article was saved for Hockey Canada for their attempts to cover up the mess.
The truth might not come out until a trial, if then. However, until McLeod’s is absolved, I don’t think the Devils will (should) allow him anywhere near the Prudential Center ice. Any attempt by the franchise to downplay the seriousness of any allegations will only backfire.
As a Devils fan who has been greatly disappointed by the season to date, I genuinely hope that two things that can appear now to be contrary can come out of this awfulness: Justice is served; and McLeod’s career isn’t over just as he was emerging as, if not a leading man, an important supporting actor.