The Edmonton Oilers‘ goaltending was an area of concern heading into this past summer. Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard were the de facto tandem until further notice. GM Stan Bowman did what he could to address the issue by hiring a new goaltending coach, Peter Aubry, who had previously worked with Bowman in the Chicago Blackhawks organization.
The Oilers were rumored to be interested in picking up a goalie off waivers, and now they have. They have announced the acquisition of goaltender Connor Ingram from the Utah Mammoth organization.
Oilers Trade For Connor Ingram
It appears as though the Oilers have picked up their goaltender. The team sent out a press release confirming that they acquired Ingram from the Mammoth. Here is the full trade:
Oilers Acquire:
- Connor Ingram ($800k retained by Mammoth)
Mammoth Acquire:
- Future considerations
The press release also reveals that Ingram will report to the Bakersfield Condors, the Oilers’ AHL affiliate. Due to the salary retention, his salary will not be counted towards the Oilers’ cap until he is recalled to the NHL.
The 6-foot-1, 218 lb goaltender was initially drafted in 2016 by the Tampa Bay Lightning. In 102 career games, he has a 3.14 goals against average (GAA), .902 save percentage (SV%), and seven shutouts. In the 2023-24 season, he had a great year. Ingram boasted a 23-21-3 record, to go along with a 2.91 GAA, a .907 SV%, and six shutouts in 50 games.
Other stats provide a clearer understanding of his game. According to MoneyPuck, Ingram ranked 13th in Goals Saved Above Expected (GSAx) in the 2023-24 season. He finished the season with an 8.3 GSAx. Skinner finished with 2.0 GSAx, and Pickard had a 0.1 GSAx.
Oilers Have Been Linked to Ingram For Some Time
GettyOilers have been linked to Ingram for a while.
Almost a week ago, a report surfaced that the Oilers were going to claim Ingram off the waiver wire. Former goaltender, NHL prospect, and current professional scout for an NHL team, Tem Lassila, took to X to make his report.
“Per Sources (AG), Oilers will be picking Connor Ingram off waivers later today,” Lassila wrote on X on September 25. “The 28-year-old starting goalie had a .907 (SV) and a 2.91 (GAA) in his last full season (23/24) with Arizona before getting injured in Utah in 2024/25.”
Oilers Were Not Alone in Ingram Interest
Nick Kypreos of Sportsnet was another pundit who reported on the link between the Oilers and the Saskatchewan-born Ingram. He also revealed that the Oilers were not the only team in their pursuit of Ingram.
“At one point, Utah and Carolina thought they had a trade this summer for Connor Ingram; you wonder if Carolina would take a run at him,” Kypreos said on the September 25th episode of the Real Kyper and Bourne show. “I have heard the Oilers are kicking tires as well (possibly) on the thought of Connor Ingram.”
The Oilers beat the Carolina Hurricanes to the punch. Ingram’s cap hit was just shy of $2 million before the Mammoth retained him. That number is likely what scared off teams like the Hurricanes.
“I know last week, Connor Ingram, he cleared,” Elliotte Friedman said on his latest episode of 32 Thoughts. “I hope it works out for him. But I wasn’t surprised that at that number, he didn’t get claimed this time around. People were surprised that Edmonton didn’t take Ingram.”
“I could see them looking at the salary for Ingram and saying ‘no’.”
The Oilers’ situation in net just got a whole lot more interesting. Now, we wait to see if Ingram can play his way up to the NHL and where he fits in the organization for the rest of the season.
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