Oilers may need to reverse Alex Formenton signing after mounting problem

The Edmonton Oilers are facing a wave of fan backlash just days after signing free agent forward Alex Formenton, with an online petition calling for the deal to be reversed climbing past 19,000 signatures by Friday morning.

The petition was launched by longtime Oilers supporter Mary Loewen, who goes by Mama Stanley online, after the team signed Formenton to a one year, $850,000 deal on Wednesday.

Formenton was one of five former world junior players acquitted last year on s***al a****lt charges connected to a 2018 Hockey Canada gala in London, Ontario.

The petition makes clear it isn't trying to relitigate the trial or challenge the acquittal.

Organizers say the goal is pushing the Oilers to explain how the signing was approved and to commit to survivor informed standards going forward whenever the front office considers similar moves.

The Oilers have stood behind the move, pointing to Formenton's reinstatement by both the NHL and Hockey Canada along with what the organization described as a lengthy due diligence process before the contract was finalized.

This isn't the only offseason decision drawing scrutiny in Edmonton.

General manager Stan Bowman hired Mike Babcock as head coach back in June once the league cleared that move too, even though Babcock hadn't coached an NHL game in seven years and had resigned from Columbus in 2023 amid a privacy investigation.

Bowman's own hiring in 2024 raised eyebrows as well, and critics say the Formenton deal fits a pattern.

The petition calls on ownership group OEG to take every lawful and contractually available step to end Formenton's time with the club, and organizers say the pressure will keep building the longer he stays on the roster.

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