The Edmonton Oilers need to put their best foot forward this season. It has been known that Stan Bowman wants to improve the team’s goaltending situation. As it stands right now, Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard are expected to be the goalie tandem this year. That is, unless something changes between now and October.
Enter today’s news, the Utah Mammoth have officially placed goaltender Connor Ingram on waivers. If he goes unclaimed, he will report to the Mammoth’s AHL organization.
Oilers Should Claim Connor Ingram
GettyCould the Utah Mammoth have a goalie that makes the Oilers better?
It’s been no secret that the Mammoth were going to put Ingram on waivers. What he can do for a team is provide another option as a solid backup.
Ingram, 28, is a 6-foot-1, 218 lb goaltender from Saskatchewan, Canada. Initially, he was a Tampa Bay Lightning draft pick from 2016. However, he has played games for the Nashville Predators, Arizona Coyotes, and the Mammoth.
Last season, he battled numerous off-ice issues, which significantly impacted his on-ice play. In 22 games, Ingram posted a pedestrian 3.27 goals against average (GAA), an .882 save percentage (SV%), and nine wins.
The year previous was a much different story.
In 2023-24, Ingram played 50 games. He boasted a 23-21-3 record, to go along with a 2.91 GAA, a .907 SV%, and six shutouts.
MoneyPuck provides additional statistics that highlight the potential benefits Ingram could bring to the Oilers.
Out of every goalie that played at least 30 games, Ingram ranks 13th in Goals Saved Above Expected (GSAx). He finished the season with an 8.3 GSAx. Skinner finished with 2.0 GSAx, and Pickard had a 0.1 GSAx.
Other players who are also on the waiver wire include Hunter Shepard, Cameron Crotty, Wyatt Bongiovanni, Xavier Bourgault, Garrett Pilon, and Oscar Eklind.
Oilers Can’t Risk Him Falling
At this stage of the exhibition season, it’s safe to say that every team is trying to figure out its roster. It’s also safe to say that the Oilers are one of several teams that still have question marks in net.
Skinner has entered camp as a renewed goalie, but are the changes he made over the offseason enough to have a bounce-back season? If the answer to this question is a “no” or even a “maybe” or worse still, “wait and see,” then the Oilers must act before he slips through their fingers.
A trade is the safest way to secure Ingram’s rights.
At the end of August, Heavy.com proposed a trade in which the Oilers would acquire Ingram. The proposal was sending Mattias Janmark and Matvei Petrov to the Mammoth for Ingram. In this scenario, the Oilers shed a little bit of salary cap space and add a goalie who can challenge Skinner for the starter’s position and push Pickard down the depth chart.
In exchange, the Mammoth get a utility forward, who can play anywhere. Additionally, they also get a prospect as a sweetener.
Considering that 30 other teams may want Ingram, the Oilers may need to sweeten this deal. A draft pick in the upcoming 2026 Entry Draft might need to be included.
According to PuckPedia, the Oilers currently hold a 2nd-, 3rd-, 6th-, and 7th round draft pick in 2026. The Oilers could consider adding at least the 6th-round selection, if not the 3rd-round pick.
*This is a developing story. Stay tuned for more information to come.
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This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
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