Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid has described Alex Formenton’s return to the NHL as a “great opportunity” after the forward signed a one-year contract with the club.
Formenton, 26, signed a one-year, $850,000 deal with Edmonton on Wednesday and joined the Oilers for their first captain’s skate ahead of training camp.
The signing marks Formenton’s return to the NHL more than four years after his last game with the Ottawa Senators.
Formenton was one of five former players charged in connection with the Hockey Canada sexual assault case. All five were ultimately acquitted. The NHL later reinstated the players involved in the case in 2025.
Speaking about his new teammate, McDavid pointed to the process Formenton had gone through before returning to the league.
“Listen, I think he’s gone through a process,” McDavid said. “He’s been transparent through the process, and that process has led him here today, and it’s a great opportunity for him.”
Formenton returns after four years away
Formenton continued his professional career overseas after leaving the NHL in 2022, playing for HC Ambri-Piotta in Switzerland’s National League.
He stepped away from professional hockey in 2024 and spent a year working in construction before returning to Switzerland for the 2025-26 season following his acquittal.
Formenton said openness and honesty throughout the process were important factors in receiving another NHL opportunity.
After four seasons away from the league, he said he has been working to regain his previous form and intends to contribute in whatever role Edmonton requires, both on and off the ice.
He also acknowledged that the years surrounding the case and the public scrutiny that accompanied it had been difficult, saying he had learned lessons from the experience and wanted to continue developing as both a person and a player.
Formenton last appeared in the NHL with the Ottawa Senators during the 2021-22 season, recording 18 goals and 32 points in 79 games.
His signing makes him the third player from the case to return to an NHL locker room following reinstatement, after Carter Hart joined the Vegas Golden Knights and Dillon Dube signed with the St. Louis Blues.
