Mike Babcock is coming back to the NHL. The Edmonton Oilers are set to make it official and while some in the organization are on board, not everyone is convinced it's a good idea including at least one person who knows what it's like to stand in a crease under pressure.
Carter Hutton, a former NHL goalie who spent over a decade in the league with five different teams, didn't hold back when the topic came up on Daily Faceoff LIVE. Asked for his gut feeling on the Babcock hire, Hutton called it "a really tricky situation" and zeroed in on something that's been largely glossed over in the excitement: the goaltending.
"I just can't see him loving the way Connor Ingram plays if he's re-signed," Hutton said plainly.
He was mostly referring to the kind of goalie Babcock has historically preferred and whether Ingram fits that mold. A coach like Babcock, old-school and demanding, may not have patience for a goalie who doesn't look textbook clean in the crease.
Connor Ingram has overcome a lot to get here
Connor Ingram's path to the NHL has been one of the most remarkable, and difficult, in recent memory. He has entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program twice. The first time was in 2021, when undiagnosed obsessive-compulsive disorder and severe depression pushed him to the edge. Isolated during the COVID-19 pandemic, the routines he relied on to cope stopped working. He planned to retire. He went home. Then he got help, spending 40 days in a treatment centre.
"I tried to white knuckle it through that kind of stuff. And you can't," he told ESPN. That comeback earned him the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.
Then, in late 2024, his mother Joni passed away from breast cancer. In March 2025, Ingram entered the program a second time, an experience he later described as feeling like he would die if he didn't get help. He fought back. Again. He was cleared to return, acquired by Edmonton and earned his spot back.
Even then, nothing was guaranteed. After being waived by Utah, he described his mindset simply: "A quote I always go back to is, ‘sometimes rock bottom’s a great place to build a foundation.’ That’s what it was."
The dynamic Carter Hutton is warning about
Hutton's concern is about fit that can make or break a player's experience inside a dressing room. Babcock is known for being demanding, intense, and not particularly gentle with players who don't meet his expectations. His track record with younger players and modern roster dynamics has been a source of genuine debate.
Hutton put it plainly saying, "I just think the way that Mike Babcock manages a team versus the new age player and these younger guys that have a lot more power, I just think it's going to be an interesting dynamic. In a window where you're trying to win with Connor McDavid, it seems like a high-risk roll of the dice."
For most players, a coach who doesn't "love" their style means friction, reduced ice time, or a tough conversation in the hallway. For a player like Ingram, someone who has been openly vulnerable about mental health, who has clawed his way back from two crises, that kind of environment really scares us.
And reading between the lines, Babcock's return is a gamble for the people in that dressing room. And some of those people are more vulnerable to a difficult environment than the highlights and contract numbers let on.
Ingram has earned his spot through more than hockey. He's earned it through resilience that goes far beyond what most people will ever face. Whether the coach walking through that door in Edmonton will recognize that or see only a goalie whose style he doesn't love, is a question worth asking out loud.
Add us as a preferred source on Google