One acquitted player has better shot at NHL return than you think!

When the verdicts came in and confirmed that the five players accused in the 2018 World Juniors sexual assault case were all found Not Guilty, a lot of chatter emerged about what would be next for them. The NHL declared the players currently ineligible to play in the league, saying that Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dubé and Cal Foote would be ineligible to play despite the players being found not guilty of all charges in an encounter with a woman in a hotel room seven years ago, though the NHLPA issued a strong response to the ban, saying that its players should “have the opportunity to return to work”.

Michael Russo of the Athletic recently reported that “ there are certainly NHL executives with interest in signing some of the players,” with a focus on players like Hart, McLeod and Dube.

However, it sounds like Formenton has a small advantage over the others when it comes to returning to the NHL as his rights are still held by an NHL organization, the Ottawa Senators. He remains a restricted free agent.

Following the filing of charges against each of the players, their respective NHL teams all announced that they were disassociating themselves from them, officially cutting ties and ensuring that the organization’s public image was not tarnished.

All except the Senators, who never waived the rights to Formenton. He was playing in Europe in the Swiss Elite League at the time of the charges and did not have a professional NHL contract, but his rights still belonged to the Sens. He reportedly retired and is working in construction in Barrie.

“Whether he or the Senators have any interest in him trying to resume his hockey career in Ottawa or elsewhere remains to be seen.”

The Senators could also renounce the rights to an unsigned player, making Formenton an unrestricted free agent, if not they still own his rights for two more seasons, after which he will automatically become an unrestricted free agent in 2027-28 if he isn’t signed by then.

This is an interesting decision on the Senators’ part.

Formenton, 25, is a 6’3’’/195lbs left winger selected in the secnd round (47th overall) of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. In his final NHL season in 2021-22, he put up 18 goals and 14 assists for a total of 32 points in 79 games.

Not sure if Formenton only stepped away from hockey amid the allegations and trial and could return now that he has been found not guilty.

With the NHLPA currently fighting against the league’s ban at this time, we could see one or more of the acquitted players back in the NHL, and you have to wonder about Formenton as well, the only one still with ties to an NHL team.