At the team's annual charity golf tournament on Monday, Ottawa Senators GM Steve Staios held court with the media and was asked, among other things, about winger Alex Formenton. TSN's Clare Hanna brought up the fact that Formenton had signed to play in Switzerland again, that his rights still belonged to Ottawa and asked Staios if he had spoken to the player or if he had any thoughts.
"I have no comment on that. In fact, it's a league matter, and the player is ineligible to play," Staios said. THN Ottawa's Graeme Nichols followed up, asking if Formenton became eligible, would there be interest? "I won't comment on it," Staios said.
The fact that the Senators retained Formenton’s NHL rights seemed like a moot point up until very recently. Leading up to the World Junior trial, it had been announced, although not formally filed with the league, that Formenton was walking away from a professional hockey career to pursue a career in construction.
He hadn’t played anywhere in the 2024-25 campaign and had only played a total of 46 games with Ambri-Piotta in the Swiss-A league in the two previous seasons.
However, in light of his acquittal, Formenton has now re-upped with Ambri-Piotta for 3.5 months for the coming season – a timeline which seems to suggest he hasn't given up on his dream of returning to the NHL.
Former Ottawa Senators Winger Alex Formenton Returns To Pro Hockey
After being acquitted of sexual assault in the high-profile criminal case involving five members of the 2018 Canadian World Junior hockey team in August, Alex Formenton <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/puckempire/status/1964350419678990532?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1964350419678990532%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=">has signed</a> a three and a half month contract with HC Ambri-Piotta of the Swiss League.
Now, the Senators are faced with three options that they may not have anticipated. Here's a synopsis of the options and their pros and cons, assuming the NHL’s post-acquittal investigation leads to their eligibility being reinstated.
1) Walk Away
This option makes the least sense. Even if they don’t want him back in the fold, simply walking away and letting him become a free agent would be poor asset management.
The one thing the Senators have is time, and Staios and company would be wise to use it.
Formenton needs to be on an NHL contract by December 1st to be eligible to play this season. They can use this time to scout and evaluate him to see if he's missed his window or if he can get back to where he was in 2021-22, which was a player with a lot of upside and elite speed. He's also a player who's cap-friendly and would likely sign for the league minimum. This time can be used to determine if he's still an asset or not.
2) Trade
The Senators won’t be the only team scouting Formenton in Switzerland. Surely, at least one other of the 31 NHL markets would see value in bringing him in if he still has the skills.
The return wouldn’t be huge, but maybe the Senators could get back a second-round pick, which is what Formenton was in 2017. Elite skating forwards who bring a physical element, kill penalties and score 18 goals in the NHL don’t grow on trees.
There is a buyer out there for Formenton if he can get back to his past NHL level of play.
3) Sign
There appears to be some support for this in the online community. A good number of Sens fans appear to believe that since the player was found not guilty on all charges, he should be welcomed back.
Justice Maria Caroccia, in her judgment, did more than pronounce Formenton and his co-accused not guilty. It sounded like she accepted Formenton’s counsel’s version of the events as the truth, and described the Crown's evidence as not credible or reliable.
So a good portion of Sens Nation will be tracking Formenton’s progress in Switzerland and his HockeyDB page over the next three months out of sheer curiosity. They will also be casting a watchful eye on Gary Bettman and Bill Daly for news of their investigation to see if clemency will be granted.
By Pat Maguire
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