The Edmonton Oilers signed Alex Formenton to a one-year, $850,000 contract Wednesday morning.

Formenton, a 2017 second-round draft pick, is mainly known for being one of the members of the “Canada Five.” Formenton, along with Carter Hart, Dillon Dube, Cal Foote and Michael McLeod, were teammates on Canada’s World Junior team and were charged with sexual assault from an incident in London, Ont., on June 18, 2018. The case became public when a report came out in May 2022 stating that Hockey Canada had paid a settlement to a woman alleging she was the victim of sexual abuse at the hands of these five men.

The London Police had closed a criminal investigation into the incident in February 2019 without laying charges, but the investigation was reopened by the London Police Service in July 2022 after news that Hockey Canada paid an undisclosed settlement to the complainant. They were formally charged in January 2024. The NHL opened an investigation, and the five players were barred from playing. The NHL didn’t reinstate them until the court decided on the case. The five players were acquitted in July 2025, and the NHL reinstated them that December. Hart played last season with Vegas last year, while Dube signed with St. Louis earlier this summer, and today the Oilers signed Formenton.

The signing caused a lot of reaction and conversations. The court case was very public. The text messages between the five men and the woman, known as E.M,, were on public record. Their testimony was read by millions of Canadians and hockey fans outside the country. If we look at the entire situation from June 2018 until the end of the court case, it is clear that many decision-makers had a different moral compass.

Hockey Canada must’ve felt the actions of the five men were inappropriate; otherwise, why would they have reached a financial settlement?

In the eyes of the court, they were found not guilty, but being not guilty doesn’t mean completely innocent.

It was a case that every parent of a teenage boy or girl should have followed and discussed with their kids. Many bad decisions were made,........

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