Alex Formenton returns to Ambri-Priotta in Switzerland on two-month contract
Alex Formenton has signed a two-month contract to return Ambri-Piotta in the top hockey league in Switzerland, the National League.
According to the team, the contract specifies that Formenton has permission to return to the NHL at any time during the duration of the contract.
The deal is not a full-season contract, only going until December 31, 2023, which coincides with the end of the Spengler Cup.
The former Ottawa Senator played 22 games with Ambri-Piotta last season, scoring 10 goals and 13 points along with an astonishing 74 penalty minutes and a +3 rating. He played alongside former NHLers Filip Chlapik, Tim Heed, and Nick Shore this past season.
Formenton’s NHL career is in a state of limbo right now. He was a member of the infamous 2018 Canadian World Juniors team that is still under investigation for sexual assault. At this time, it is not yet known which members of the team are guilty of the crime in question. The 24-year-old speedy winger last played for the Senators in the 2021-22 season, scoring 18 goals and 32 points in his first full season with the team.
“The club is aware that there is an ongoing investigation,” Ambri-Priotta wrote in their team statement on the signing. “…to date there has been no charge nor conviction against the player. The club reserves the right to review the contractual situation with the player should new elements emerge. The player, for his part, has the possibility of returning to the NHL at any time if the second investigation were to resolve like the first with nothing done. Out of respect for the ongoing investigations, the player and club will not release further statements on the situation.”
Formenton was viewed as a key member of the Senators’ future and was set to earn his first post-ELC contract last year. The sides have yet to come to terms on a deal, with Ottawa holding on to his RFA rights for the time being.
In addition, the Senators find themselves in a serious cap crunch, and there’s no guarantee they’d have enough space to bring back Formenton if he was to be cleared by the league. According to CapFriendly, the team has $62,620 in cap space, with RFA Shane Pinto still left to be signed. CapFriendly has the Sens holding on to Formenton’s rights until he turns 27 in 2027.