OilersNation has no direct affiliation to the Edmonton Oilers, Oilers Entertainment Group, NHL, or NHLPA
Sunday Scramble: Will the Oilers respond to growing anger surrounding Alex Formenton?
Photo credit: USA TODAY Sports
Sep 13, 2026, 18:00 EDTUpdated: Sep 13, 2026, 17:51 EDT
It’s a genuine shame that the season must start like this. On the doorstep of a critically important season for the Edmonton Oilers, it begins mired in controversy and infighting among fans about the findings in a sexual assault trial and whether Alex Formenton deserves a second chance from their favourite team.
Regardless of Alex Formenton’s acquittal and the sense that, of the Hockey Canada Five, he is perhaps the least culpable in the situation, a lot of Oilers fans are upset. I don’t blame them.
On the one hand, this is a business for the Edmonton Oilers, and their mandate is to improve the hockey team however they can. Their actions over the last four years show — rightly or wrongly — they simply do not care about public perception.
Just win, baby, and screw the rest. Many fans think the same way.
But many others don’t. They come home after a long day of work and want to unwind watching their Oilers. They want to feel good about their team: not just about the wins and losses, they want to cheer for the individuals on the team. Or at least, they don’t want reasons to dislike their players actively.
The petition calling for the Oilers to reverse the signing of Formenton now has just over 57,000 online signatures in just a few days.
“We acknowledge clearly and without qualification that Alex Formenton was acquitted in court in 2025,” the petition reads. “This petition does not challenge that verdict, nor does it declare him guilty. “This decision has deeply hurt many survivors, longtime fans, and community members who expect the organization to represent integrity, accountability, and respect…
“By signing this petition, you are not declaring anyone criminally guilty or overturning a court decision. You are telling the Edmonton Oilers that this organizational choice does not represent your values.”
That number keeps growing. Will it move the needle and influence OEG’s bottom line? No, probably not. But it also isn’t nothing.
I think a lot of fans are just tired. If this were Edmonton’s first foray into troubled or problematic individuals, I don’t think the response would be quite as strong. It’s just the latest one.
Does anyone work harder than Oilers public relations?
Formenton can help the situation
I like that Formenton wasn’t shielded from the media, and although a post-skate scrum isn’t the ideal venue to discuss his past, the Oilers didn’t hide him, like the Vegas Golden Knights hid Carter Hart last season.
“I think throughout this whole process, I’ve been open and honest about my actions in it,” said Formenton afterward. “Given that, and being open and honest, I think that has granted me an opportunity today.”
McDavid’s answer was similarly vague and buzzwordy:
“Listen, I think he’s gone through a process. He’s been transparent through the process, and that process has led him here today, and it’s a great opportunity for him.”
At some point soon, it would be smart for the Oilers to have Formenton talk in greater depth about what he’s learned, how he’s changed, and to reach out to the fan base.
There will be a large percentage who will never change their mind and want him gone. But it’s this type of effort that will make this signing sit better with some.
Is it worth multiplying distractions?
Formenton has shown tools in the past to be an effective player. He’s fast, he’s a big body, and he has killed penalties before. But it’s been four seasons since he’s touched NHL ice. Is he any more effective than, say, Eduards Tralmaks or Aku Raty right now? Hard to say.
Sure, the acquisition cost is just money, but is there any cost in inflaming a healthy segment of your fan base?
I just don’t see where the juice was worth the squeeze here. There’s already a lot of noise surrounding the team. Babcock’s return. The team’s pressure to win right now. Along the way, the Oilers seem to court their own controversy and amplify the noise.
“Woke… Rape-apologists… Shrink the game… Toxic masculinity… Fake fans…”
Limiting distractions? The Oilers are multiplying distractions.
Will the Oilers try to reach out to the fan base? Or do they believe this will blow over? Something tells me it won’t be so easy.
McDavid: ‘You need to have a system to rely on…’
The more Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have spoken in the last week, the more shade is thrown towards Kris Knoblauch and how he lost the room.
Reading the quotes, it seems like Knoblauch’s constant line shuffling and indirect communication style were getting to 97 and 29.
“We’ve asked for that for a long time is some consistency throughout the lines and building chemistry,” said McDavid this week. “It’s not easy just to jump around from spot to spot, guys switching positions, guys playing up the lineup, down the lineup. It’s hard mentally.”
Then Draisaitl on Babcock’s communication style:
“He knows what this team needs, and he doesn’t shy away from telling you straight to your face,” said Draisaitl. “He’s a real man about it, and we’re all men in here, and we all want to win. We’re all here for the same reason. I think he’s going to be great for us.”
I often felt last season that the group had taken on the personality of the head coach. As is so often the case, when you change the coach, you look for the opposite personality type.
Another McDavid interview, this time with the 32 Thoughts podcast, has some pretty interesting comments about structure and being coached, even offensively.
“I want to be coached. I do,” he said. “There are areas of the game that I have figured out, and they come naturally and easily to me. And there are other areas of the game that I need some help on, help with, and I need to be coached.
“We need to be organized, and I know Babs will do that. Babs will have our group organized. We’re going to be the most prepared team in the NHL. I know that because I’ve seen them work already in their preparation for the year, and it’s an exciting time for us. It really is.
“Obviously, there are finer details defensively, and things like that. Offensively too. I feel like offensively, there’s a lot of, ‘These guys will just kind of figure it out.’ When it dries up, especially when it matters most, you need to have a system to rely on, and fall back on, and we’ll have that.”
Oftentimes you’d watch the Oilers last season and think the plan was just for McDavid and Draisaitl to save them. Looks like they felt it, too.
Oilers rookie camp
We do have Edmonton Oilers games coming up this week, with rookie camp concluding on Monday night with a battle against Calgary Flames rookies.
Camp will begin with a tremendous opportunity for Isaac Howard to gain a top-six winger spot through the first month of the season with Savoie’s injury. He had some revealing quotes this week about his high standards, somewhat surprising considering how offensive it was. More of that here.
A couple of names I’ll be intrigued to watch.
Owen Michaels has an opportunity as a right-handed centre on a depth chart that has none. It would be extremely surprising to see him take a spot on an opening day roster, but can he leave a good impression to be a viable call-up candidate?
Could he provide a role like his former teammate at Western Michigan, now an Anaheim Duck, Tim Washe?
This is a big season for Beau Akey as well. When healthy, the former second-round pick had a 57 per cent goal share. But he began the year hurt, and then took a puck in the face in January, which slowed his momentum.
Akey was selected 56th overall in 2023 and is the highest draft choice still in the organization dating back to Evan Bouchard in 2018. Is Akey just a guy destined for injury-plagued seasons that harm his growth? Or is there a potential NHLer there?
One other note.
Bakersfield Condors coach Colin Chaulk is so well-spoken. Here’s how he sets the table for Rookie Camp and the upcoming game on Monday.
“Less reads, less information, and drive three to five points home over these last three days,” said Chaulk. “If you give them too much and you apply too much pressure and you talk about one chance in one game, it slows them down.
“The reality is, yes, it is one game. They got three chances yesterday, today, and tomorrow to be at their best, and then they’re going to get another one on Monday in a mini battle of Alberta.”
This week:
- At Calgary Flames rookies on Monday
- Home to Winnipeg Jets on Saturday (pre-season)
Michael Menzies is an Oilersnation columnist and co-host of PreGaming and Oilersnation After Dark. He’s also been the play-by-play voice of the Bonnyville Pontiacs in the AJHL since 2019. With seven years of news experience as the Editor-at-Large of Lakeland Connect in Bonnyville, Menzies collects vinyl, books, and stomach issues. Follow him on X at Menzies_4.
Breaking News
- Sunday Scramble: Will the Oilers respond to growing anger surrounding Alex Formenton?
- Cal Nichols, former Oilers chairman who saved franchise, dies at 84
- Why it’s time for the NHL to eliminate video review
- Oilers 2026 Prospect Countdown No. 5: Tommy Lafreniere
- Oilers bold predictions: Kasperi Kapanen reaches the 40-point mark again
Edmonton OilersTeam Cap Summary
Cap Summary
2027-28
2028-29
Projected Cap Hit
$88,322,500
$61,025,000
Projected Cap Space
$25,177,500
$61,975,000
Current Cap Space
$25,177,500
$61,975,000
Active Players
16/23
10/23
Draft Picks
Round
'27
'28
1
0
1
2
1
0
3
0
1