Connor Ingram didn’t ask, he TOLD the Edmonton Oilers he was staying.
Short of putting a horse’s head in Stan Bowman’s bed, Godfather style, he made them an offer they couldn’t refuse.
With the organization humming and hawing about what to do with three goalies when Tristan Jarry returned from injury, Ingram did this: .923 save percentage against Nashville; .900 against L.A.; .967 against Chicago; .944 against New York and a 27-save shutout Sunday against St. Louis.
Five games, six goals against in regulation and a 3-1-1 record, with the only loss being a 1-0 decision against the Islanders.
You don’t send that back to the minors. Not when your team has been starving for solid, consistent goaltending for years and the new starter is dealing with a recurring injury.
So, whatever the plan was when Ingram first got called up from Bakersfield, Ingram authored a new one. It was simple. Two words on a folded piece of paper that he slid across the table: ‘I’m staying.’
“A week ago, we weren’t sure what we were going to do,” admitted Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch. “But now, the way he’s played his last couple of starts, he’s definitely earned a spot to play regularly.”
He’s not just playing regularly, he’s been their workhorse, playing nine of Edmonton’s last 14 games and boasting an overall save percentage of .917 and goals against average of 2.22.
Originally, sending Ingram back to the AHL was going to be easy because he didn’t have to clear waivers (Calvin Pickard does) if they did it before last Saturday. But Ingram took the decision out of their hands.
It’s a remarkable turnaround for a guy who didn’t even have a team just a few short months ago.
“Any day you’re in the NHL is a good day, no matter where you are or what you’re doing,” said the soft-spoken 28-year-old. “I mean, this is the mecca of hockey in Western Canada. This is what you watch growing up. This is one of the nicest buildings in the NHL. So just to be a part of it for however long it’ll be, is something I’ll remember for a long time.”
Edmonton Oilers goaltender Connor Ingram takes a breather during a stoppage of play against the Vegas Golden Knights in the second period at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025.
Right now, he’s living in a hotel across from the rink, but you have to think this is about to become a long-term arrangement.
“It feels good right now,” said Ingram. “” mean, my life’s just hockey. There are a couple days a week I don’t even make it outside. I just walk through the pedway (from the JW Marriott) over here. I sleep and play hockey right now — it’s an easy life.”
The only hard part is that his wife is back in Bakersfield for the time being.
“I’ve got two dogs down there, so somebody’s got to look after them. Poor Sarah’s down there by herself. I miss my family, I miss my dogs. But right now it’s just simple. And I think that’s helping.”
‘We didn’t know what to expect’: Knoblauch
The Oilers admit they had no idea what to expect when they acquired Ingram from the Utah Mammoth in early October for future considerations. He’d been very good a couple of years ago in Arizona, but struggled last year in Utah (.882) and hadn’t played an NHL game since last February while he dealt with some personal issues.
And his numbers in Bakersfield were horrid — 4-5-2 with an .856 save percentage and a whopping 4.04 goals against average.
It didn’t exactly look like he was ready to step in and settle things down in Edmonton.
“We didn’t know what to expect,” said Knoblauch. “We always knew he could be a solid NHL goaltender, he proved it in the past. It was whether he could find that game or not, but he was able to and he’s been really good for us.”
If Jarry doesn’t get hurt in that Dec. 18 game in Boston, Ingram might still be down in the minors fighting off that sagging save percentage. It’s funny how things work out.
“We made the change because we had to,” said Knoblauch. “We had to call a goalie up. We had an injury, that’s the only reason why Connor started with us. He came in and played well and earned more starts and he got some momentum. I’m pretty sure he feels confident about his game, good about it. At least he should be.”
It turned out to be a pretty great move, especially considering Utah retained $800,000 of Ingram’s $1.95 salary.
Now, all of this comes against the backdrop of an Oilers team playing significantly better defence and spending the bulk of most games in the offensive zone. Edmonton outshot the New York Islanders 35-18 and had the Vancouver Canucks and St. Louis Blues on the ropes all night in 6-0 and 5-0 wins.
“It kind of shows the strategy we have started to take defensively,” said Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who knows a thing or two about team defence as one of the better two-way players in the league.
“It starts from goaltender out and I think our D are playing outstanding. There are still steps we want to take to get to another level, but I think as of late it’s a great sign.”
E-mail: rtychkowski@postmedia.com
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