The Edmonton Oilers are a second-chance organization.

Time, and time, and time again, the Oilers have proven they’re willing to give players a shot at reviving their careers after dealing with off-ice actions. They did so with Craig MacTavish in the ’80s after he served a vehicular homicide sentence. Zack Kassian, Evander Kane, Corey Perry, Stan Bowman, and Mike Babcock have all gotten their chance in recent years.

In most of these cases, you could squint to look beyond their conduct and see where they could help the team out, and to each of MacTavish, Kassian, Kane, Perry, and Bowman’s credit, they’ve shown they can turn the page. Babcock is to be determined.

So when the Oilers signed Alex Formenton to a one-year contract Wednesday, the reaction was visceral, and rightly so. The 26-year-old was one of five former World Junior players charged with sexual assault related to the high-profile 2018 case, and along with Carter Hart, Michael McLeod, Cal Foote, and Dillon Dube, was acquitted at trial.

All five players were suspended by the NHL through Dec. 1, 2025, as well as by Hockey Canada to varying levels, with Formenton being reinstated by the organization in August, and the other four facing suspensions lasting until Nov. 10, 2026, for Foote, and the same date in 2030 for McLeod.

Hart has returned to the NHL, signing with the Vegas Golden Knights last season, backstopping them to the Stanley Cup final. McLeod has spent the last two years playing in the KHL, and will do so this year for Avangard Omsk again. Foote was set to join the SHL’s Färjestad BK this season, but backlash from “supporters, members, partners, leaders, employees, and others who care about Färjestad BK” led them to cancel the deal. Dube played a year in the KHL and spent last year with........

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