An update on the Alex Formenton situation from Sens GM Pierre Dorion

Late last month the Ottawa Senators announced that they'll be without the services of star forward Josh Norris likely for the rest of the season after he suffered a shoulder injury that will require surgery. The 23 year old center was the team's leading goal scorer last season, putting up 35 goals and 55 points in 66 games during a breakout campaign. Needless to say, he'll be tough to replace in the Sens' lineup.

Sure, the team still has Tim Stutzle and Claude Giroux down the middle on the first and second lines, but they're losing depth quickly. Which lead a lot of Sens online fans to ask, "Well... what about Alex Formenton?"

For those who don't know, the 23 year old Formenton is without a contract for... reasons...

Officially, the Sens have said that they can't come to financial terms with Formenton on a new deal, but there's plenty of speculation online that there are more serious reasons why he's not under contract. Fans have speculated for months now that Formenton is involved in the sexual assault allegations against members of the 2018 Team Canada World Junior team, as he is one of the very few players who have issued a statement on the allegations. He's kept his mouth shut, he didn't show up for training camp and has now essentially faded into non-existence. To many, that's enough evidence to connect the dots. 

And Sens insider Shawn Simpson didn't exactly pour cold water on those rumors when yesterday he reported that Formenton's absence from the team is "not a contract issue."

The only real media members commenting on the Formenton situation are Simpson and TSN insider Darren Dreger. Dreger reported last week that the Sens have "reasons" for "slow playing" the situation. Dreger goes on to say that a trade is probably the most likely situation for the Sens and Formenton.

Check it out:

Today, Sens GM Pierre Dorion once again dodged any specific questions about Formenton as it pertains to the Hockey Canada investigation, saying just that he's aware that the Sens have a deadline of December 1st to sign Formenton but that they have made no progress in signing him.

Again, I think we can read between the lines a bit here. I don't know if Formenton has any involvement in these allegations. No one does. But the fact is that no one is speaking on this matter, so we'll have to wait for the results of a proper investigation before we pass any judgements. In the meantime, I think the Sens are doing the smart thing by holding off until they get all the facts.