Bowman: Oilers Knew Formenton Signing Wouldn't Be Universally Accepted

Edmonton Oilers general manager Stan Bowman spent much of his pre-camp media availability Wednesday addressing the team's signing of Alex Formenton.

The Oilers signed Formenton to a one-year, $850,000 contract on Sept. 9. The move drew backlash across the hockey community and prompted a petition with more than 65,000 signatures calling on the team to reverse it.

"I would say we knew going into it that this was something that wasn't going to be universally accepted or embraced," Bowman said. "That was why we spent as much time as we did going through the details of it and going through our due diligence to make sure that we believed it was the right decision to make."

Formenton and four former teammates from Canada's 2018 world junior team were acquitted in July 2025 of sexual assault charges arising from an encounter with a woman after a Hockey Canada gala in London, Ontario, in 2018.

The NHL announced in September 2025 that all five players could sign contracts beginning Oct. 15 and play beginning Dec. 1. A separate Hockey Canada appeal ruling in August 2026 confirmed that the five players breached the organization's code of conduct. Hockey Canada reinstated Formenton immediately while continuing the other four players' suspensions for varying periods.

Bowman said Hockey Canada's different treatment of Formenton was a significant factor in Edmonton's decision to proceed with the signing. Formenton had not played in the NHL since 2021-22 and spent most of the intervening period with HC Ambri-Piotta in Switzerland.

Asked about fan fatigue with the organization adding people with controversial backgrounds, Bowman said he understood the sentiment and that it was not his place to tell anyone how to feel.

"We're trying to do the right thing and give us a chance to make them proud and be judged on what we do moving forward here," he said.