The Edmonton Oilers signed forward Alex Formenton to a one-year, $850,000 contract this week, and the reaction from fans has been almost entirely negative — for more than one reason.
Formenton was one of five players from Canada’s 2018 World Junior team charged with sexual assault stemming from an incident in London, Ontario, following the team’s gold medal celebration that year. All five were acquitted at trial in July 2025. An independent Hockey Canada appeal board later found that the players had still breached the organization’s code of conduct, recommending staggered suspensions and reinstatement dates.
Formenton was the only one of the five reinstated immediately, clearing the way for him to sign with an NHL team again. He becomes the third player from that group to land a contract, following Dillon Dube in St. Louis and Carter Hart in Vegas.
Oilers signed Alex Formenton
Beyond the off-ice controversy, plenty of fans have been quick to point out that Formenton’s on-ice case is thin as well. He hasn’t played in the NHL since 2022, spent one year completely out of hockey working construction while awaiting trial, and posted just 13 goals and 23 points in 42 games last season with HC Ambri-Piotta in Switzerland — good for 82nd in scoring in that league.
For context, that’s well behind where Jesse Puljujärvi finished after leaving the Oilers organization a few years ago.
“Not even considering the moral issues, does this even make sense from a hockey perspective? Dude hasn’t played in years in the NHL,” one fan wrote.
“Look, is he controversy free? No. Is he good at hockey though? Also no. Will he move the needle for the Oilers? Not even remotely. But I do know this for sure: I have reached the end of my statement,” another added.
“He’s a complete PR grenade, but he compensates for that by not being very good at hockey either,” a third joked.
“Even if you remove all the off-ice stuff, it’s still a bizarre signing. The guy finished 82nd in scoring in what’s maybe the 5th best hockey league in the world, and was working construction the year before that,” someone else pointed out.
Connor McDavid’s response
Connor McDavid was asked directly about the signing and offered a measured response that didn’t exactly calm the backlash. “Listen, I think he’s gone through a process and he’s been transparent through the process. That process has led him here today. It’s a great opportunity for him,” McDavid said.
That answer only fueled more frustration among fans already unhappy with the move.
“This guy might have the most difficult captain job in NHL history,” one fan wrote.
“How many times does a player have to justify a different signing to the media before he starts to wonder if his team is maybe doing something wrong?” another asked.
“Yeah, dude has his PR boilerplate down, which isn’t a surprise considering this is like the 10th time he’s had to answer for his team’s morally questionable move,” a third added.
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Formenton himself addressed the signing directly, thanking the organization for the opportunity. “I’m very grateful to the Katz family, Stan Bowman, Jeff Jackson and Mike Babcock for granting me this opportunity,” he said. “Throughout this whole process I’ve been open and honest about my actions, and that has granted me an opportunity today.”
Oilers GM Stan Bowman pointed to injuries at forward and Formenton’s recent Hockey Canada reinstatement as the main factors behind the signing, adding that Formenton brings speed and 79 games of prior NHL experience to a team looking for cheap depth.
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