As Dec. 1 passed, so too did the deadline to sign restricted free agents, meaning Alex Formenton will not be making his NHL return this season.

Formenton, who has not played in the NHL since the 2021-22 season, remains under team control of the Ottawa Senators. Sens general manager Steve Staios said in September that Formenton would not be returning to Ottawa, stating both sides has agreed “it would be best for everybody for a fresh start for Alex.”

With no trade market having formed for the 26-year-old forward this fall, TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger reports an offer sheet may be Formenton’s most likely path back to the NHL next summer.

“As we know, Steve Staios, the GM of the Sens, has been open to the possibility of trading Formenton’s rights, but the interest just hasn’t been there,” Dreger said on Insider Trading Tuesday. “So, what Alex Formenton has to do is start playing better in the Swiss league in Europe, and if he does that, perhaps there is opportunity to trade those rights at some point in the offseason.

“The most likely scenario though here is that an offer sheet is signed by Alex Formenton. If he signs for less than $1 million, then there’s no compensation going to the Senators, but that’s fine. Ottawa at that point would be willing to move away.”

Formenton returned to Switzerland’s HC Ambri-Piotta in September on a short-term deal through the December international break, with an option for the remainder of the season. He has five goals and nine points in 20 games with the club.

He is one of five players, along with Carter Hart, Michael McLeod, Dillon Dube and Callan Foote, who were charged with sexual assault following an incident in a London, Ont. hotel room in 2018 at a Hockey Canada event celebrating their World Junior title.

All five players were acquitted in July after a high-profile trial that lasted for months. The five all became eligible to play in the NHL on Monday as their suspensions expired. Hart became the first of the five to play in an NHL game Tuesday, starting for the Golden Knights, while the other four remain without NHL contracts.

Formenton, who was drafted in the second round by Ottawa in 2017, played three seasons with the team, scoring 18 goals with 32 points in 79 games in 2021-22. A restricted free agent following the season, he failed to sign a contract with the Senators before the Dec. 1 deadline in 2022. He has not played in the NHL since.