Free Agent Profile: Connor Ingram

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case for the first half of the year. Playing with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors, Ingram had a disastrous start to his tenure in the Oilers organization. He managed a 4-5-2 record in 11 starts with a .856 SV% and 4.04 GAA.

Still, because of the lackluster goaltending in Edmonton and an injury to newly acquired Tristan Jarry, Ingram earned a call-up to the Oilers in late December. He was fairly streaky, which wasn’t an uncommon theme from between the pipes for Edmonton last season. He finished with a 16-10-3 record, a .899 SV% and 2.60 GAA.

Even though he didn’t have the best numbers in the league, he was the most stable netminder the Oilers had. He was named the team’s starter for the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs, finishing with a .876 SV% as Edmonton was eliminated by the Anaheim Ducks.

Stats

2025-26: 32 GP, 16 W, 10 L, 3 OT/SOL, 686 saves, 77 GA, .899 SV%, 2.60 GAA, 2.7 GSAA
Career: 134 GP, 55 W, 54 L, 18 OT/SOL, 3,454 saves, 379 GA, .901 SV%, 3.01 GAA, -1.8 GSAA

Potential Suitors

It was always going to be difficult for Ingram to find anything beyond a third-string role on the free agent market. It was always going to be best to wait as long as possible before the regular season began, hoping a starting or backup netminder would get injured, thus opening up a potential role.

In bittersweet fashion, that’s exactly what’s happened for Ingram. A few days ago, it was announced that Columbus Blue Jackets netminder Elvis Merzļikins would be out indefinitely following shoulder surgery.

If Ingram wants a backup role, the Blue Jackets are his only realistic option. Columbus signed Pheonix Copley as a third-string option this summer, but Ingram would be an improvement with more recent NHL experience.

Projected Contract

This is where the news gets less optimistic for Ingram. Yes, the Blue Jackets currently have approximately $12MM in salary cap space, but they still need to sign RFA center Adam Fantilli, at least for the 2026-27 season.

Even if the Blue Jackets eventually place Merzļikins on the long-term injured reserve, it won’t create enough space to give Ingram anything meaningful. Odds are, if Ingram is pursued by Columbus as a short-term stopgap, it won’t be for much more than the league minimum.