{"id":426775,"date":"2026-01-25T04:30:21","date_gmt":"2026-01-25T04:30:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/426775\/"},"modified":"2026-01-25T04:30:21","modified_gmt":"2026-01-25T04:30:21","slug":"the-oilers-didnt-plan-for-connor-ungar-now-they-have-to","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/426775\/","title":{"rendered":"The Oilers Didn\u2019t Plan for Connor Ungar \u2014 Now They Have To"},"content":{"rendered":"

For years, the Edmonton Oilers\u2019 goaltending strategy has been reactive. Don\u2019t spend big bucks, patch the problem. When possible, add insurance. The game plan over the past couple of seasons was to ride two solid, but inconsistent goaltenders into the playoffs, hoping that the elite offense and depth on defense would be enough. <\/p>\n

In many ways, the Oilers chose to make development a secondary concern. That\u2019s somewhat understandable given their status as a Stanley Cup contender who had to go all in every season, especially at the deadline. That\u2019s why it\u2019s such a blessing \u2014 and kind of a surprise \u2014 that the Oilers have stumbled upon a potential game-changer in Connor Ungar.<\/p>\n

Ungar\u2019s sudden emergence will potentially flip the Oilers goaltending approach on its head \u2014 forcing the organization into uncomfortable decisions sooner than expected.<\/p>\n

The Oilers Will Have to Reevaluate their Summer Plans<\/p>\n

The Oilers entered this season believing their path was relatively clear. The plan was to either make Stuart Skinner<\/a> a 1A or trade him. They chose the latter and went with Tristan Jarry<\/a>, who was brought in to stabilize the NHL crease. The Oilers then took a chance on Connor Ingram<\/a>, who was viewed as depth with upside. Calvin Pickard<\/a> remained the safety net. <\/p>\n

Behind them, the organization wasn\u2019t sure what they had, and two of the three options they did keep were going to see their contracts expire at the end of the season. <\/p>\n

This summer will bring with it some tough decisions. Do the Oilers even consider keeping anyone beyond Jarry?<\/p>\n

A Crowded Crease Is Manageable \u2014 Until It Isn\u2019t<\/p>\n

With Jarry healthy again, the Oilers now carry three NHL goaltenders. Under normal circumstances, that\u2019s manageable in the short term. After this season, it\u2019s not an option. <\/p>\n

The Oilers have to come to terms on the fact that either Pickard or Ingram won\u2019t be here next season as creating a logjam on the Oilers\u2019 roster, or in Bakersfield makes no long-term sense. And, every decision Edmonton makes to keep another body around directly impacts Ungar.<\/p>\n

\"ConnorConnor Ungar Oilers goalie<\/p>\n

In previous seasons, Edmonton may have prioritized NHL insurance over AHL opportunity. In 2026-27, that approach risks stalling the development of a goalie who has done nothing but outperform expectations at every stop.<\/p>\n

Ungar isn\u2019t just a normal prospect. The way he\u2019s been playing, one could make the argument he\u2019d be good to go in a pinch this season. <\/p>\n

Ungar Has Forced His Way Into the Conversation<\/p>\n

Ungar\u2019s rise has been anything but conventional. Undrafted, but a gamer, he has been shuffled between three ECHL teams. He could have easily been lost in the shuffle. Instead, he dominated.<\/p>\n

Across those brief ECHL stints, Ungar posted eye-popping numbers \u2014 a goals-against average under 1.70 and a save percentage north of .943. When he finally received his AHL call-up, he somehow got better. Five wins. A 1.38 GAA. A .953 save percentage.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a small size, but it\u2019s an impressive one. It\u2019s a great problem for the Oilers to have, but there\u2019s a window where Edmonton has to game plan for his continued success. The Oilers have a history of dropping the ball on prospects that have earned the right to take on a bigger role. Philip Broberg<\/a> and Dylan Holloway<\/a> are the biggest that come to mind in the past couple of years. Those two mistakes have hurt Edmonton. The Oilers can\u2019t afford a repeat mess up at their most important and up-in-the-air position. <\/p>\n

The Pickard Question Is No Longer Optional<\/p>\n

Calvin Pickard has been a positive presence and a reliable pro. But Ungar\u2019s development has sealed Pickard\u2019s fate. Keeping the beloved veteran past this season means limiting starts for Ungar, who needs consistent AHL action and some NHL starts to see what he really is.<\/p>\n

For the first time in years, the Oilers aren\u2019t desperate for goaltending bodies. They\u2019re deciding how to protect the right ones. Ungar has made himself part of the future conversation \u2014 not because of pedigree, but because of results.<\/p>\n

The Oilers don\u2019t need to rush Ungar into the NHL. But they do need to clear a path for him. That likely means a trade involving Pickard, rather than risking waivers or stunting development.<\/p>\n

Ungar is not a short-term answer. But he\u2019s earned the opportunity to show he can be a long-term one.<\/p>\n

Next: Which Forwards are Oilers Targeting on Teams Not Ready to Sell?<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For years, the Edmonton Oilers\u2019 goaltending strategy has been reactive. Don\u2019t spend big bucks, patch the problem. When…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":426776,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5125],"tags":[275,2663,27651,198,146,5300,5,4,24,6769],"class_list":["post-426775","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-edmonton-oilers","tag-calvin-pickard","tag-connor-ingram","tag-connor-ungar","tag-edmonton","tag-edmonton-oilers","tag-edmontonoilers","tag-hockey","tag-nhl","tag-oilers","tag-tristan-jarry"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/115953862904615934","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/426775","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=426775"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/426775\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/426776"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=426775"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=426775"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=426775"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}