Connor Ingram's Win in Chicago Strengthens His Case With the Oilers

Connor Ingram didn’t steal the spotlight in Chicago, but he did play well enough to be the Oilers' best player on Monday night, battling toe-to-toe with Spencer Knight. Ingram not only picked up the win, but he's making a case that the Edmonton Oilers shouldn't quickly brush Ingram aside when Tristan Jarry is set to return. 

In a 4–1 Oilers win over the Blackhawks, Ingram turned aside 29 of 30 shots for his fourth win of the season, continuing a stretch of steady, composed play that’s becoming harder for Edmonton to ignore.

The Oilers controlled much of the action, but there were turnover issues at points in the game, and some Grade A chances that Ingram had to be sharp on. He bailed out a very loose Oilers team on several occasions and shut the door, preventing Chicago from capitalizing on any momentum they'd built.

That’s now six quality starts in seven appearances. No drama. No scrambling. Just calm, efficient goaltending.

In any other situation, that should be enough to warrant sticking around.

His positional play is elite. He looks like he's making the expected saves look easy. He stays square to shooters, takes away angles early, and forces opponents to miss the net — wide, high, or straight into his chest. It’s the kind of goaltending that doesn’t end up on highlight reels but is exactly what Edmonton needs. He’s doing exactly what you want a goalie in his position to do: beat the teams you’re supposed to beat, stay composed, and give your team a chance every night.

He might be the best technical goalie of the three the Oilers will have to choose from. And, the Oilers will have to choose. 

Edmonton suddenly has one too many goaltenders who appear to be playing well enough to hold a spot on the NHL roster. That’s not a bad problem — but it is a complicated one.

Waivers loom, roster decisions are coming, and Ingram keeps making it harder to justify sending him out of the picture. But, as good as Ingram is playing, the Oilers have to consider asset management, and they will likely lose Calvin Pickard on waivers if they make him the odd man out. 

Edmonton could try to carry three temporarily — but that creates problems of its own. Keeping three goalies rarely works in practice, limits game action, and risks pushing Ingram past the threshold where he’d require waivers to be sent down.

Right now, demoting Ingram is the simplest solution. He can be sent to the minors, continue playing regularly, and avoid sitting idle. Pickard, meanwhile, has value as a cheap, NHL-capable backup — something that matters even more come playoff time. Losing him on waivers could leave the Oilers exposed if injuries resurface, especially with Tristan Jarry’s recent health concerns.

Outside of those three, the AHL success story that is Connor Ungar appears promising, but relying on him right now is risky. The priority should be protecting depth and flexibility. For that reason, the most logical move is to send Ingram down, keep Pickard, and avoid unnecessary risk while the Oilers sort through a crowded — but valuable — crease.

It's not a question of whether Ingram has earned the right to stick around. Unfortunately, his performances alone might not matter. 

Connor McDavid extended his point streak to 19 games with two assists. Analysts and fans keep saying this might be the best he's ever played in his career. His Dad was asked during the intermission if he thinks this is the best his son has played, and Brian McDavid said Connor is healthy and feeling good. But, as someone would expect of a McDavid response, he feels there's more he can do. "I just think he's playing free... confidence is a huge thing, even for a player like him."

Evan Bouchard scored twice and added a helper, continuing a point-per-game season (46 points in 46 games).

Zach Hyman, Leon Draisaitl, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins all chipped in. This was a solid win for the Oilers, the first of a back-to-back. 

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