Connor Ingram’s NHL run has come to an end.
With no contract in hand for the coming season, the 29-year-old goaltender said on Instagram that he has retired and plans to go back to school to study psychology. He was a third-round pick by Tampa Bay in 2016, though he never appeared for the Lightning.
Ingram’s path through the league took him to Nashville in 2019, when Tampa Bay dealt him for a seventh-round pick. That move turned into a real opportunity for the Predators, who gave him a couple of seasons in their system and three NHL games before he entered the Player Assistance Program to address depression and undiagnosed obsessive-compulsive disorder.
His next stop changed everything. Arizona claimed him off waivers the following training camp, and that opened the door to his first extended NHL action.
In 2022-23, he handled a backup role well enough to land a three-year, $5.85MM contract. The next season, he briefly seized the starting job and appeared in 50 games, posting a 2.91 GAA, a .907 SV%, and a league-high six shutouts.
At that point, it looked like he had settled in as a legitimate NHL option on a team-friendly deal.
The momentum didn’t last. In the Mammoth’s first season after relocation, Ingram struggled through 22 games to open 2024-25 before entering the Player Assistance Program again to deal with his mother’s passing the year before.
He missed the rest of the season, and once he was reinstated, Utah did not bring him to training camp. He cleared waivers last fall.
Utah later moved him to Edmonton, retaining $800K of his $1.95MM AAV. The Oilers started him in the minors, but after Calvin Pickard struggled in the first half, they recalled Ingram in December and kept him with the big club the rest of the way. He moved in and out of the crease at times, finishing with a solid 2.60 GAA and a .899 SV% in 32 regular-season games, though he had trouble against Anaheim in the playoffs.
That work put him 39th on our annual Top 50 UFA list and fourth among goaltenders, but no contract materialized. Instead of heading to camp on a tryout, Ingram has chosen to step away now and start the next chapter. His career ends with a 55-54-18 record across parts of five NHL seasons, along with a 3.01 GAA and a .901 SV%.
In Other News...
Connor Ingrams Sudden Ending Leaves Oilers With An Unexpected Goalie Question
Connor Ingrams sudden exit adds an unexpected wrinkle to the Oilers goalie picture, even if his time with the club was brief. The 29-year-old netminder, who has spent parts of his NHL career with Nashville, Arizona, Utah and Edmonton across 134 games, said he is stepping away from professional hockey after not getting any contract offers once the Oilers moved on to other goaltenders.
Ingrams next move is a deeply personal one, since he plans to return to school to study psychology and eventually use that path to help others. He has spoken openly about his mental health battles, including diagnoses of obsessive-compulsive disorder and depression, and his retirement closes the book on a career that carried both the pressures of the NHL and the weight of those off-ice challenges. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Face A Big Question About Babcock And Their Biggest Stars
The Oilers are entering the season with a familiar kind of spotlight on Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, and this time it comes with a coaching wrinkle attached. Mike Babcocks reputation has always been built on demanding buy-in from his best players, and in Edmonton that naturally raises the question of how his approach will mesh with two stars who already set the standard every night. It is the kind of dynamic that can shape a room long before the first important game is played.
Jeff ONeill has made clear he is not sold on the idea that Babcock will be able to apply the same hard-nosed discipline to McDavid or Draisaitl that he once expected from other marquee names. Still, both players have already spoken positively about their new coach, which only adds another layer to the intrigue. For the Oilers, the real test is whether that public respect turns into the kind of accountability that holds up when the season starts to bite. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Linked To Proven Scorer As One Big Question Looms
Chris Kreider is one of the more intriguing names still sitting in free agency as the 2026-27 season approaches, and the veteran winger has a profile that would make sense for Edmonton if the fit and finances can be worked out. At 35, he still brings the kind of proven scoring touch and playoff-tested experience that can help a contender, especially one looking for another layer of offense without turning over too much of the roster.
The challenge, of course, is the cap. Edmonton does not have much room to play with, so any serious look at Kreider would likely require a creative structure or a discounted number to make it happen. His recent production keeps him on the radar, but the bigger issue is whether a team built around high-end stars can find a way to squeeze in another established scorer without creating problems elsewhere on the roster. [Read more 🡒]