{"id":197603,"date":"2025-09-18T01:47:39","date_gmt":"2025-09-18T01:47:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/197603\/"},"modified":"2025-09-18T01:47:39","modified_gmt":"2025-09-18T01:47:39","slug":"senators-not-bringing-back-formenton-flames-pass-on-dube-after-sexual-assault-acquittal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/197603\/","title":{"rendered":"Senators not bringing back Formenton, Flames pass on Dube after sexual-assault acquittal"},"content":{"rendered":"

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

Alex Formenton hasn\u2019t played in the NHL since 2021-22.Geoff Robins\/The Canadian Press<\/p>\n

The Ottawa Senators opened training camp Wednesday intent on not just reaching the playoffs but taking the next step. <\/p>\n

However, Alex Formenton will not be part of the process. <\/p>\n

The 26-year-old forward, who was drafted in the second round (47th overall) by Ottawa in 2017, was one of five players acquitted in July<\/a> of sexual assault charges stemming from an incident in London, Ont., in 2018 when they were members of Canada\u2019s world junior team. <\/p>\n

Senators general manager Steve Staios shared he had discussions with Formenton\u2019s agent that led to a mutual decision that \u201cit would be best for everybody for a fresh start,\u201d and later added the club is gauging the market for a potential trade. <\/p>\n

Formenton is the only one of the five who is a restricted free agent, with the Senators retaining his rights. Dillon Dube, another acquitted player, will not be re-signed by the Calgary Flames, the team said on Wednesday. <\/p>\n

The NHL recently reinstated the five players and said they\u2019d be eligible to sign contracts on Oct. 15, and take part in games Dec. 1.<\/p>\n

Formenton had 23 goals and 39 points across 109 games for the Senators. He hasn\u2019t played in the NHL since 2021-22, spending parts of three seasons with Swiss club HC Ambri-Piotta.<\/p>\n

Carter Hart won\u2019t return to Flyers after sexual assault acquittal, general manager says<\/a><\/p>\n

The Senators enter camp with momentum after snapping a seven-year playoff drought last spring. Led by captain Brady Tkachuk, the Senators are determined to not only return to the post-season but prove the group can contend. Training camp will be about building on that foundation and preparing for the expectations that come with a roster built to advance.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like the character of this group,\u201d said Staios. \u201cThey\u2019ve been challenged. They rise up to the occasion. They took a step forward and we\u2019re excited to see that next step and they know it\u2019s going to be hard.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ottawa made few changes to its roster. They acquired defenceman Jordan Spence from the Los Angeles Kings and signed Lars Eller to a one-year, US$1.25 million contract. They\u2019ll also have the benefit of having forwards Dylan Cozens and Fabian Zetterlund, who were both acquired at the trade deadline, in the lineup from the start.<\/p>\n

Despite few changes, head coach Travis Green anticipates internal competition.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think you can look right through our lineup,\u201d said Green. \u201cWe\u2019ve got good players in every position that are going to battle for ice time, whether it\u2019s jobs on the team or ice time within the game.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the biggest questions going into camp is who will be on Tim Stutzle\u2019s right wing. Zetterlund and 37-year-old Claude Giroux, who signed a one-year extension, are in contention, but Green was non-committal when asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cUltimately, it\u2019ll be up to the players,\u201d said Green, who alongside Staios, is confident the answer lies within the current roster.<\/p>\n

Defenceman Nick Jensen, who underwent hip surgery during the off-season, is progressing well and has started skating and Green said he \u201cwouldn\u2019t be surprised if he was skating with the group within the next week,\u201d but that it\u2019s still too early to know if he will be ready for the start of the season.<\/p>\n

Questions loom over all seven Canadian NHL teams as training camps begin<\/a><\/p>\n

Marner still the focus as Maple Leafs look to move past him on the ice<\/a><\/p>\n

While Ottawa\u2019s defence corps seems locked down, especially with the addition of Spence, the Senators could find themselves having to make a tough decision on the future of Carter Yakemchuk.<\/p>\n

The 19-year-old defenceman looked solid in a rookie tournament game where he had a goal and two assists.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think for the first time in a long time here, there\u2019s real competition,\u201d Staios said. \u201cAnd Carter\u2019s continued to grow and develop.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yakemchuk\u2019s point totals dropped off last season, going from 71 points to 49, but Staios pointed out the progression and development of his game, in addition to his strength and development.<\/p>\n

Green, who is known for his strenuous training camps, has no doubt his team is ready and willing to put in the work.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to be demanding,\u201d Green said. \u201cWe want to challenge our players. We want to help them improve and part of helping a player improve is getting them outside his comfort zone and challenging him to be better. It\u2019s kind of how we coach.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to Jensen, Eller had a minor abdominal procedure and won\u2019t be ready to start camp.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Open this photo in gallery: Alex Formenton hasn\u2019t played in the NHL since 2021-22.Geoff Robins\/The Canadian Press The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":197604,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5104],"tags":[1018,1001,1019,967,991,1020,19,990,1008,1009,1004,992,989,1014,1016,1013,1007,1000,1030,993,994,1006,5,1002,1003,997,1021,998,1025,1026,4,1028,1023,1027,786,72,25,5157,1024,995,1011,1012,333,1010,1022,73,86,1015,1017,1005,999,996,1029],"class_list":{"0":"post-197603","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ottawa-senators","8":"tag-alberta","9":"tag-arts-news","10":"tag-bc","11":"tag-breaking-news","12":"tag-breaking-news-video","13":"tag-british-columbia","14":"tag-canada","15":"tag-canada-news","16":"tag-canada-sports","17":"tag-canada-sports-news","18":"tag-canada-trafficcanada-weather","19":"tag-canadian-breaking-news","20":"tag-canadian-news","21":"tag-economy","22":"tag-education","23":"tag-environment","24":"tag-federal-government","25":"tag-foreign-news","26":"tag-globe-and-mail","27":"tag-globe-and-mail-breaking-news","28":"tag-globe-and-mail-canada-news","29":"tag-government","30":"tag-hockey","31":"tag-life-news","32":"tag-lifestyle","33":"tag-local-news","34":"tag-manitoba","35":"tag-national-news","36":"tag-new-brunswick","37":"tag-newfoundland-and-labrador","38":"tag-nhl","39":"tag-northwest-territories","40":"tag-nova-scotia","41":"tag-nunavut","42":"tag-ontario","43":"tag-ottawa","44":"tag-ottawa-senators","45":"tag-ottawasenators","46":"tag-pei","47":"tag-photos","48":"tag-political-news","49":"tag-political-opinion","50":"tag-politics","51":"tag-politics-news","52":"tag-quebec","53":"tag-senators","54":"tag-sports-news","55":"tag-technology","56":"tag-travel","57":"tag-trudeau","58":"tag-us-news","59":"tag-world-news","60":"tag-yukon"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197603","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=197603"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197603\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/197604"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=197603"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=197603"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=197603"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}