Five days after clearing waivers, the Utah Mammoth have traded Connor Ingram to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for future considerations. The Mammoth retained $800,000 of Ingram’s contract in the trade.
Ingram, a 28-year-old who began the 2024-25 season as Utah’s starting goaltender, had more than hockey on his plate last season. His mother passed away from cancer, for which he took an extended leave of absence. When he returned, his play wasn’t at the standard he was used to.
In March, he entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program for the second time in his career. The program is designed to help players with all kinds of mental health and addiction issues. His first stint in the program seemed to help him a ton; immediately after completing it, he became a number-one goalie in the NHL for the first time in his career.
His perseverance led to him being awarded the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy in 2024. The trophy is given to “the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.”
At the Mammoth’s season-opening press conference Sept. 17, GM Bill Armstrong declared that he and Ingram agreed that he would not attend camp and that it was best for the two sides to seek a new place for him to play. Whether the decision to skip camp came from the team or the player is not clear.
Over the span of 102 NHL games, split between the Nashville Predators, Arizona Coyotes and Utah Hockey Club, Ingram has a .902 save percentage, a 3.14 goals-against average. In 2023-24, he recorded six shutouts, tied with three others for the league lead in that category.
“We would like to thank Connor for everything he has done for the organization,” Armstrong said. “He is a class act, great teammate, and we wish him nothing but the best.”
Edmonton is the closest NHL city to Ingram’s home town of Imperial, Saskatchewan.
Why did the Edmonton Oilers acquire Connor Ingram?
The Oilers have lost in the Stanley Cup Final in two consecutive years. While they have arguably the best two forwards in the world, they receive a lot of criticism for their defense and their goaltending.
Having a third NHL-level goalie to call upon as needed could be helpful — especially in the playoffs, where the Oilers can have all three guys on their roster. It often happens that a goalie gets on a hot streak in the playoffs and carries his team much further than it otherwise might have gone.
According to Friedman, Ingram will start the season in the AHL with the Bakersfield Condors, where his contract will not affect the Oilers’ salary cap.
While the Oilers could have claimed Ingram off waivers last week, they wouldn’t have been able to send him to the AHL without putting him back on waivers. They also would not have been able to get the Mammoth to retain salary.
“Future considerations,” which the Mammoth got back in the deal, most often means there is no return — though sometimes teams do end up getting something back later on.
