Ottawa to Undergo Training Camp Without Key Forward

It appears as though forward Alex Formenton will not be present at Senators' training camp, as the forward is still without a contract as of September 18. Pierre Dorion told media recently he planned on having Formenton signed by September 20 and having him at camp, however it does not look like that deadline will be met.

Formenton, 23, is the only Senator without a contract, which -- given his '22-23 season -- is a surprise. In 79 games for the Sens, Formenton posted 32 points and 59 PIMs, and he fit in nicely among Ottawa's top-nine forwards.

The elephant in the room with regards to Formenton is the 2018 Canadian World Junior team sexual assault scandal. To this point, no one has been named publicly, however internet detectives have carved out the most probable collection of names, and Formenton is among that group. For what it's worth, that collective also includes Senators forward Drake Batherson.

This is no way assigns guilt onto any of those named, although if there is any merit to the notion that Formenton was involved, it could help explain why he is without a contract.

Strictly speaking on the hockey side of things, the two sides could simply be at an impasse over Formenton's performance last season and his value going forward. The Sens are deep at forward, Formenton scored 82% of his NHL total last season while getting caved in defensively, and the Senators will need much of their remaining ~$5.5 million to add over the season.

So, perhaps his agent is flexing whatever leverage he has, and Dorion just is not playing ball. Only those parties involved really know why Formenton has no deal in place, so until the truth comes out we are left to speculate.

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