Ex-Edmonton Oilers starting goalie still without an NHL contract
NHL contracts have been tough to come by for a few veteran players this summer.
There are more than a few notable players still without deals for the upcoming season, and with training camp right around the corner, the clock is ticking to get pen to paper. One of the more intriguing players still looking for work just so happens to be Connor Ingram.
Despite stealing the starting job from Tristan Jarry last season and starting five of six Oilers playoff games against the Anaheim Ducks, Ingram is still on the open market in need of a new NHL home.
The 29-year-old goaltender posted a respectable 16-10-3 record with the Oilers last season, with a .899 save percentage and a +1.7 GSAx.
Walter Tychnowicz/Imagn Images
It could be argued that out of the four goalies that appeared in games with the Oilers last season, Ingram was the best one. He helped stabilize the position late in the season and was the undisputed starter once the playoffs came around.
Yet, he is now the only one of those four goalies without a contract for the upcoming season. Jarry is still with the Oilers and is expected to get heavy playing time, Stuart Skinner inked a deal with the Winnipeg Jets this summer, and even Calvin Pickard has some job security, signing a contract with the Minnesota Wild earlier this offseason.
It’s a bit baffling that nobody has decided to take a flyer on Ingram, who could prove to be a very good NHL backup goalie at the very least. Could it be that his contract demands were too much at the start of free agency and that he overplayed his hand a bit?
Ingram was reportedly very interested in re-signing with the Oilers, but GM Stan Bowman opted to go a different direction by trading for Devon Levi and inking Frederik Andersen to a cheap deal in free agency.
Will the Saskatchewan native continue to look for NHL work through a last-minute contract or PTO, or is a move to Europe in the sights for Ingram? Funnily enough, he isn’t the only ex-Oilers starting goalie still on the market, as Cam Talbot is also still looking for work.
Whatever his fate is, there will be plenty of Oilers fans wishing the very best for Ingram no matter where he ends up.