Connor Ingram was traded to the Edmonton Oilers by the Utah Mammoth on Wednesday for future considerations.
The 28-year-old goalie played 22 games for Utah last season before entering the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program on March 9. He went 9-8-4 with a 3.27 goals-against average and .882 save percentage. Ingram was cleared from the program Aug. 20.
It was announced last month that Ingram would not participate in training camp with Utah and the team was seeking to trade him. Ingram was placed on waivers Sept. 25 and went unclaimed.
"We would like to thank Connor for everything he has done for the organization," Mammoth general manager Bill Armstrong said. "He is a class act, great teammate, and we wish him nothing but the best."
As part of the trade, Utah will retain $800,000 of Ingram's $1.95 million salary this season (41 percent). He is in the last season of a three-year, $5.85 million contract and can become an unrestricted free agent after the season.
Karel Vejmelka and Vitek Vanecek are expected to form the Mammoth's goalie tandem this season.
Oilers general manager Stan Bowman said they intend to send Ingram to Bakersfield of the American Hockey League.
“He’s not been in training camp right now, so we need to get him going, get him up to speed,” Bowman said. “I just spoke to him a few minutes ago and he’s excited for the opportunity for a fresh start.
“The way we look at it is this is a great depth option for us. I think whether it’s injuries or whether it’s the play of our team, it’s nice to know that we have someone in our organization that’s had some recent success in the NHL.”
Ingram won the Masterton Trophy, which recognizes the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey, for the 2023-24 season. He also entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program in 2021 because of depression and what had been an undiagnosed obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
Selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the third round (No. 88) of the 2016 NHL Draft, Ingram is 39-44-15 with a 3.14 GAA, .902 save percentage and seven shutouts in 102 regular-season games with the Nashville Predators, Arizona Coyotes and Utah. He played four Stanley Cup Playoff games (three starts) for the Predators in 2022 and was 0-3 with a 3.64 GAA and .913 save percentage.
Stuart Skinner (50 starts) and Calvin Pickard (31 starts) made up the Oilers goalie tandem last season, but neither had a GAA below 2.50 or save percentage above .900 during the regular season or playoffs.
“It’s an insurance policy in case of injuries or whatever happens,” Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said. “We feel [Ingram] is a quality goaltender who has had success in the NHL that if we need to call upon, he can do that. Hopefully we have our two guys and have confidence in them and that this is just an insurance thing.
“Stuart and ‘Picks’ are our goaltenders right now.”
Edmonton, which has lost in the Stanley Cup Final each of the past two seasons, opens its regular season at home against the Calgary Flames on Oct. 8 (10 p.m. ET; SN, TVAS).
NHL.com staff writer Derek Van Diest contributed to this report
