NHL-ийн дүрэм журмын дагуу тоглох эрхээ сэргээсэн довтлогч Алекс Форментон Эдмонтон Ойлерс багтай нэг жилийн гэрээ байгууллаа.
Эдмонтон Ойлерс 26 настай довтлогч Алекс Форментонтой 850 мянган ам.долларын үнэлгээтэй нэг жилийн гэрээ байгуулснаа лхагва гарагт албан ёсоор зарлалаа. Форментон нь 2018 онд болсон хэрэгтэй холбогдуулан Канадын залуучуудын шигшээ багийн бусад дөрвөн тоглогчийн хамт шүүхээр орж, 2025 оны долдугаар сард гэм буруугүй гэж тогтоогдсон юм. NHL-ээс тоглогчдыг 2025 оны аравдугаар сарын 15-наас эхлэн багтай гэрээ байгуулахыг зөвшөөрсөн ч тэдний үйлдлийг лиг болон гишүүн клубуудын баримталдаг үнэт зүйлст нийцэхгүй хэмээн мэдэгдэж байв.
Форментон нь 2022 оны дөрөвдүгээр сараас хойш NHL-д тоглоогүй бөгөөд сүүлийн гурван улирлыг Швейцарын лигт өнгөрүүлсэн юм. Тэрээр NHL-ийн замналдаа 109 тоглолтод оролцож, 23 гоол, 16 оновчтой дамжуулалт буюу нийт 39 оноо авч, дунджаар 14:24 минут талбайд гарсан үзүүлэлттэй байна. Өнгөрсөн хугацаанд Оттава Сенаторс баг түүнийг дахин эгнээндээ нэгтгэхгүй гэдгээ мэдэгдэж, улмаар тавдугаар сард чөлөөт тоглогчийн жагсаалтад оруулсан билээ.
Эдмонтон Ойлерс багийн хувьд бэртэл гэмтлийн улмаас бүрэлдэхүүний гүн дутагдалтай байгаа тул Форментоны хурд болон тооны цөөнд хамгаалах чадварыг ашиглахаар зорьж байна. Дасгалжуулагч Майк Бэбкокын тактикт тулгуурлан түүнийг доод эгнээний хамгаалалтын чиглэлийн довтлогчоор тоглуулах боломжтой гэж үзэж байгаа аж. Гэсэн хэдий ч удаан хугацаанд лигт тоглоогүй нь түүний ирээдүйн гүйцэтгэлд хэрхэн нөлөөлөх нь тодорхойгүй байна.
Дэлгэрэнгүйг эх сурвалжаас харах
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The Edmonton Oilers have signed forward Alex Formenton to a one-year contract carrying an average annual value of $850,000, the team announced Wednesday morning.
Formenton, 26, is one of five former members of Canada’s World Junior team found not guilty of sexual assault charges in a July 2025 trial in connection with an alleged incident in 2018, when a woman said she was sexually assaulted over several hours in a London, Ont., hotel room.
The NHL cleared the players to sign with teams as of Oct. 15, 2025, but said in a news release that their conduct fell “woefully short of the standards and values that the League and its Member Clubs expect and demand.”
Goaltender Carter Hart signed a two-year, $4 million contract with the Vegas Golden Knights shortly after, helping the team reach the Stanley Cup Final. On July 1, Dillon Dube signed with the St. Louis Blues after playing out a professional tryout with their AHL affiliate in Springfield.
In August, Hockey Canada announced continued suspensions for four of the five members but reinstated Formenton effective immediately.
Formenton, a 6-foot-2, 195-pound forward, last played in the NHL in April 2022 for the Ottawa Senators. He then spent three seasons with HC Ambrì-Piotta in Switzerland, recording 33 goals and 19 assists for 52 points in 88 games. He did not play during the 2024-25 season after being granted a leave of absence, but rejoined the team for 2025-26.
Formenton made his NHL debut in 2017-18 with the Senators and played 30 games across three seasons before skating in a career-high 79 games in his fourth season, recording 18 goals and 32 points in 2021-22. He also ranked second among Senators forwards with 150:27 spent on the penalty kill.
Despite being reinstated by the NHL, Senators general manager Steve Staios said last year the team would not bring back Formenton, at the time a restricted free agent.
“I think both sides agree that it would be best for everybody for a fresh start for Alex,” Staios said.
The Senators cut Formenton from their free-agent list in May, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Through 109 career NHL games, Formenton has registered 23 goals and 16 assists for 39 points while averaging 14:24 per game.
Why the Oilers?
The Oilers are in Cup-or-bust mode. Head coach Mike Babcock was hired to get them over the hump, and the two-year extension Connor McDavid signed before last season put a two-year timeline on the team’s championship window.
The team has also seen a steady erosion of forward depth since reaching back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals in 2024 and 2025. Early injuries ruling Matt Savoie and Mattias Janmark out of training camp further diminished the reliable options they can turn to. While not the best available option on the free-agent market, that’s where Formenton could help.
Edmonton is set to rely on some inexperienced players this season. Josh Samanski, Colton Dach and Isaac Howard, three players expected to be regulars in the lineup, have played a combined 139 NHL games. Formenton gives the Oilers another cheap option who has a full season under his belt, albeit five seasons ago.
What does Formenton bring to the Oilers?
The obvious question is how useful Formenton will be, not having played in the NHL since April 2022. He played in a third-line capacity for the Senators that season, but has played exclusively in the top Swiss circuit ever since. That doesn’t figure to be an easy transition.
That goes doubly given Formenton’s lackluster production. His most prolific season came in 2023-24, when he tallied 10 goals and 16 points in 24 games. His largest sample was 2025-26, but he produced at a lower 0.55 points-per-game clip through 42 outings.
Formenton is known first and foremost for his speed. Combined with Babcock’s obsession with forwards applying heavy pressure on the forecheck, there’s potential for Formenton to carve out a role as a checking forward in the bottom six.
His experience as a penalty killer brings another element to an Oilers team that has struggled on the penalty kill over the past two seasons, finishing 16th and 20th, respectively. In 2021-22, Formenton posted the third-best expected goals against per 60 (7.6) among Senators penalty killers who played at least 100 minutes, per Natural Stat Trick.
Still, Formenton’s upside appears limited given the value he provided in his first NHL stint and his long hiatus from the league. At best, he could be a secondary scoring option who helps out on the penalty kill. That corresponds with his league-minimum contract, which poses little financial risk for the Oilers.
