Connor Ingram was a solid addition to the Edmonton Oilers goaltending lineup last season. He cost nothing to acquire, put in some strong efforts down the stretch, arguably becoming a key reason that the Oilers made the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and with 50% of his $1.95 million salary retained by the Utah Mammoth, he was very affordable.
He was not, and is not, a long term number one goaltender. The Oilers should attempt to re-sign him at another reasonable salary, but he can't be given much of a raise, and if he insists on one, he should be told to look elsewhere. While he was the best goalie in Edmonton for a good portion of the year, that is a very low bar, and Ingram's game was imperfect.
Rebound control and other woes
It was apparent in the late season losses, and even more so in Round 1 of the Playoffs, that Ingram lacks rebound control. The Anaheim Ducks clearly noted this tendency and more than one goal was scored when a winger came down one side, blasted a puck off Ingram's pad, and then the opposite side player potted an easy goal. Anyone can get better at something they put their mind to, but this is a 29-year-old professional goalie who has been working on his game for a long time, so it may simply be what it is.
We saw Ingram capable of good games and strong mini-stretches, but one only needs to look at the average goals against in the series loss to the Ducks to see that Ingram's starts were not much better than the oft-criticized Tristan Jarry. In the Playoffs, Ingram saw fewer shots against than the average, but allowed more goals, and had a worse save percentage in almost every shot location area of the ice. He wasn't the only reason the Oilers went out when they did, but there were nights when Anaheim's goalies let in goals freely, and they still came out with the win.
That was a worsening of his regular season performance, where he was approximately a league average goalie. But if the bright lights of the postseason are too much, then a team in Edmonton's position, desperately trying to carve out a championship before Connor McDavid's contract ends, simply can't go all in and hope he gets better, or delivers differently next April. Ingram has the ability to push a 1A goaltender, filling gaps and capturing standings points in short term stints, but his playoff record is atrocious, and his career numbers tell us everything we need to know.
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