Ottawa Senators right to take patient approach with Alex Formenton

The Ottawa Senators continue to trim their training camp roster and one player sent to Belleville has surprised a number of people.

Alex Formenton has made the Ottawa Senators roster in each of the past two seasons out of training camp, earning ten total NHL appearances before eventually being sent back to juniors.

This season, however, Formenton will not get a chance to play for the Ottawa club as he has found himself sent to their AHL affiliates, the Belleville Senators.

Formenton is viewed as one of the team’s best young talents on offence and will play a crucial role in the organisation’s rebuild over the next two-to-three seasons.

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As a result, many had believed he would get an opportunity to impress management early on and would be given an extended look in the NHL, with the 2019/20 season effectively a year for the team to ‘tank’ to acquire the very best drafting position next year.

But that is not the case, with Formenton now likely to play a top role in the minors – a decision that fans of the organisation should be fairly satisfied with.

While it would have been great to see Formenton make the jump up into the majors, he has very little experience at the professional level and would be better served having an adjustment period where he can play plenty of minutes without the pressure of expectations in the NHL.

In Belleville, Formenton will be given plenty of opportunities to impress in a top-six role, potentially partnering alongside some of the Senators’ other top offensive talents.

Growing his experience and confidence in the AHL is a sensible move by the Ottawa Senators, ensuring that the 20-year-old has enough time to adjust to the professional game and work on any areas he is not quite up to scratch in.

If Formenton can continue his development in the same way as Drake Batherson, who is expected to claim an NHL roster spot at some stage this season, then Formenton will be grateful for the extra year of seasoning.

The Ottawa Senators have no expectations of success this season, with development and the rebuilding process far more important in the long-term, so Formenton could find himself earning an opportunity with the team towards the end of the season.

At 20 years old, Formenton still has a long career ahead of him and rushing him into NHL action could prove detrimental to his development, so giving him a better chance to succeed in the AHL could do a lot, with the potential for a call-up being plenty of motivation throughout the upcoming season.

What do you think Sens fans? Are you pleased to see Formenton given more time to develop in the minors? Are you disappointed that he isn’t still in training camp in Ottawa? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!