Gary Bettman Caught Red-Handed Trying to Sweep the WJC Scandal Under the Rug

London, Ontario Police dropped a bombshell on Tuesday, ordering five team members to turn themselves in. Calgary Flames' Dillon Dube, Philadelphia Flyers' Carter Hart, New Jersey Devils' Cal Foote, and Michael McLeod decided to leave their teams temporarily. Even former Ottawa Senators player Alex Formenton, who was playing overseas, hopped on the leave train and returned to Canada.

Now, everyone's waiting breath for more details from the London police. They're holding a presser on February 5 to unveil more on the investigation.

According to reporter Dan Silver, the Flyers tried to trade Hart over the summer, but the jig was up when teams found out about this mess. NHL warned teams that these four players might be unavailable at the start of the season due to potential suspension. Player agents responded by threatening lawsuits. Now, it seems like the bell's tolling for real.

Taking the heat for this is Gary Bettman. The NHL has been sitting on this matter since May 2022 without lifting a finger. Yet the cops get involved, and things escalate in a matter of weeks.

It's easy to forget trade rumors were swirling around Hart during the offseason.
From the Edmonton Oilers to the Toronto Maple Leafs and even the Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils, everyone wanted him.
It also seemed like the Flyers would deal him after they acquired Cal Petersen from the Los Angeles Kings in a three-way deal that included Ivan Provorov being shipped from Philadelphia to the Columbus Blue Jackets. It would've been interesting to see how management and other suitors dealt with his $3.9 million rental cap hit, especially with his upcoming restricted free agency and the Flyers in an open rebuild. Alas, that didn't happen due to the ongoing investigation. Still this was a year old by last Summer, so the NHL should've found something. The fact they didn't is a failure and foiled contenidng teams plans to shore up their crease.