Only Sergei Bobrovsky and the Edmonton Oilers’ Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard can say they’ve backstopped their teams to the Cup final in each of the last two years.
Of course, Bobrovsky is the two-time Cup champion, and Skinner and Pickard form a tandem that’s raised doubts about Edmonton’s netminding.
Starter Skinner and understudy Pickard played well enough to give Edmonton a chance of winning the Cup. But there was still an overriding anxiety about them this past summer. Pickard had the higher save percentage in the regular season at just .900, while Skinner had the higher stat in the playoffs at an ugly .889.
More than a few observers thought Edmonton GM Stan Bowman would address his team’s goaltending by acquiring a proven veteran between the pipes.
While it took Bowman almost to the start of the 2025-26 regular season to tweak his goalie situation, he did exactly that Wednesday when he acquired veteran goaltender Connor Ingram from the Utah Mammoth. Utah is retaining $800,000 of Ingram’s $1.95-million cap hit.
Bowman did well considering who was available at this point. He wasn’t going to get a bona fide starter on the trade market, let alone in free agency.
But while Ingram’s stock has fallen from its peak a couple years ago, the Oilers clearly felt this was a low-risk gamble that could pay off.
You can see why Ingram was an attractive-enough option. In 102 career games over four NHL seasons with the Nashville Predators, Arizona Coyotes and Mammoth, Ingram generated a record of 39-44-15 with a 3.14 goals-against average, .902 save percentage and seven shutouts. From 2022-23 to 2023-24, Ingram posted an SP of .907. He was thriving on the ice at the times, which makes him an excellent insurance option in net.
Oilers Acquire Goaltender Ingram From Utah With Retained Salary
The Edmonton Oilers acquired goaltender Connor Ingram from Utah Mammoth, the team announced on Wednesday.
There’s no rush to get Ingram on the NHL roster in Edmonton. He’ll play for the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors for the time being, which will be good for Ingram to get back in form. But of course, if Skinner or Pickard struggle out of the gate this year, there’s a distinct possibility the Oilers will fast-track Ingram’s return to hockey’s top league.
Ingram has had personal issues that led him to receive care from the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program from March to August of this year. He now deserves a chance to re-establish himself as an NHL-caliber goalie. It may take a while before he gets that opportunity, but the Oilers see enough in him to roll the dice and see what he can do behind what will be a stacked Edmonton lineup.
Ingram is still only 28, giving him more than enough time to solidify a spot at the NHL level. If he thrives, he could be the final piece of a championship puzzle for the Oilers. And if he doesn’t – well, let’s just say Edmonton won’t be the final spot in his playing career.
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