The Utah Mammoth and the Edmonton Oilers could become trade partners very early in the 2025-26 season. With the recent news of Connor Ingram being cleared from the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, there is now a position battle for the backup goalie spot in Utah.
Because of that, the goalie who doesn’t make the roster out of camp could quickly find themselves in a different organization. The battle is ultimately between Ingram and Vitek Vanecek, who was signed by the organization on July 1.
The Oilers need to find goaltending help on cheap deals to play behind Stuart Skinner. Both Ingram and Vanecek are signed to contracts with lower AAVs that would be affordable for Edmonton.
Ingram is signed for one year at $1.95 million, and Vanecek is also on a one-year deal that carries an AAV of $1.5 million. Of course, there’s always the chance the Mammoth decide to hold onto both of them and carry three goalies on their roster.
But with goaltending at a premium, especially for the Oilers, they may be willing to trade for one and allow Utah to recoup a draft pick or two. It’ll all come down to how well they perform during the pre-season and training camp, but it does seem like the Oilers will be calling the Mammoth about their goalie situation.
