It’s been an offseason of change for the Edmonton Oilers under the leadership of general manager Stan Bowman, who has made significant shifts both behind Edmonton’s bench and on the ice.
Not only did Bowman fire coach Kris Knoblauch and assistant Mark Stuart, but he also hired Mike Babcock and DJ Smith to take their places. He also acquired goaltenders Frederik Andersen and Devon Levi along with forward Colton Dach and defenseman Ryan Shea. Additionally, longtime defenseman Darnell Nurse was traded to the divisional rival San Jose Sharks.
The Oilers’ crease tandem is now made up of Andersen and Tristan Jarry, whom Edmonton acquired last December in a multi-player trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins that sent previous starter Stuart Skinner back East.
Speaking of former Oilers goaltenders, Connor Ingram can count himself as one, and it appears as though the Penguins have emerged as a potential landing spot.
Former Edmonton Oilers Goaltender Connor Ingram Could Find Himself With The Pittsburgh Penguins
According to a recent report from Alex Chauvancy of The Hockey Writers, Ingram would make a good addition in the Penguins crease alongside Arturs Silovs and prospect Sergei Murashov, as Skinner is no longer with the club after signing a free agent contract with the Winnipeg Jets.
“Connor Ingram may have struggled during the playoffs for the Oilers, but he was arguably their best goaltender during the regular season,” wrote Chauvancy. “He finished with an .899 save percentage while saving 7.45 goals above expected. That’s an above-average netminder in today’s NHL. He could be a good stopgap until they deem Murashov ready for a full-time NHL role.”
Ingram, who is an original draft selection of the Tampa Bay Lightning, was acquired by the Oilers from the Utah Mammoth on October 1 in return for future considerations.
In his first and only campaign in Edmonton, Ingram went 16-10-3 with a 2.60 goals-against average and a .899 save percentage. He also went 2-3 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs as the Oilers were eliminated in the opening round by the divisional rival Anaheim Ducks; Ingram posted a 3.86 goals-against average and a .895 save percentage.
He owns a career record of 55-54-18 with a 3.01 goals-against average, a .901 save percentage, and nine shutouts.
Oilers GM Stan Bowman Confirmed Edmonton Will Roll Forward With Three Goalies
According to Bowman, following the signing of Andersen and the acquisition of Levi, the club will roll forward with all three goalies on the roster.
“Yep, that’s our plan,” Bowman responded.
And despite Jarry’s struggles, Bowman confirmed prior to Andersen’s signing that the club plans on keeping him around.
“Yeah, Tristan’s going to be back,” he said of Jarry. “We’re still looking at some other things. The most important thing was to find a good young goalie that I think has a lot of promise to his game, and I think with Devon Levi in Buffalo, he has played whatever it is, 30 or 40 NHL games, so it’s not like he’s totally new to the opportunity, but his most recent success has been in the American Hockey League, and I think he’s probably knocking on the door waiting for that opportunity.”
Oilers’ Connor Ingram Predicted To Land With Eastern Conference Club