The Edmonton Oilers have started the 2025–26 season on a steady note, leading the Pacific Division with a 6-4-3 record. They are averaging 3.15 goals per game while allowing 3.08, showing both scoring balance and some defensive issues.
Amid the team’s solid start, goaltender Connor Ingram is quietly focusing on rebuilding his own career after being traded.
What Made Connor Ingram Start Over Again?
The 28-year-old from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, is currently with the Bakersfield Condors, the Oilers’ AHL affiliate. Edmonton traded for him in early October, sending future considerations to Utah, which retained $800,000 of his $1.95 million salary. Ingram is in the final year of his three-year, $5.85 million contract and will become a free agent at the end of the season. For Ingram, the trade represents an opportunity to reset and start anew.
Ingram’s return to hockey comes after a difficult few years. He lost his mother, Joni, to breast cancer in December 2024, just nine months after her diagnosis. Her passing deeply affected him, and he took time away from the game to get help for depression through the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. It was his second time in the program, having first entered in 2021 to deal with obsessive-compulsive disorder and depression.
“There were points last year where my wife wouldn’t let me drive home from the rink by myself,” Ingram told The Athletic’s Daniel Nugent-Bowman. “It was bad. It was dangerous. Thank God I’ve got Sarah around. She probably kept me out of the ground.”
With his wife’s support, Ingram focused on his recovery and gradually rebuilt his confidence. He was cleared to return on Aug. 20. Utah, which had added new goaltenders during the offseason, gave him the opportunity to move on, and Edmonton stepped in to provide that new beginning.
Now in Bakersfield, Ingram is taking each day as it comes. Reflecting on his journey back, Ingram shared one of his most powerful thoughts:
“I’m building a foundation on rock bottom,” he said. “That’s what it feels like some days. It’s a long road back.”
He’s not in a rush to return to the NHL but is focused on enjoying the game and improving his form.
Oilers Coach Sees Ingram as an Option in Case of Injuries
Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch spoke about adding Ingram after his trade on Oct. 1. He said the move was an insurance policy in case of injuries.
“It’s an insurance policy in case of injuries or whatever happens,” Knoblauch said, via NHL. “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.”
This season, Skinner has a 2.52 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage in nine games. Pickard has a 3.50 goals-against average and a .846 save percentage in four games. The Oilers are relying on them, with Ingram as backup support for any injury situations.