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.
Ingram's Return Creates Backup Goalie Battle
Late yesterday afternoon, news broke that Utah Mammoth goalie Connor Ingram was cleared by the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program and is free to return to the NHL. This is excellent news for him and the organization.
BREAKING: Connor Ingram Cleared By NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program
<b>BREAKING NEWS: </b>The Utah Mammoth’s goalie Connor Ingram has been officially cleared by the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program and is free to return to the NHL.
Did Team USA Snub Utah’s Nick Schmaltz From Olympic Camp?
Yesterday, Team USA released their invite list to the <a href="https://teamusa.usahockey.com/news_article/show/1344220" target="_blank">2026 Men’s Olympic Orientation Camp</a> which included 44 players. For the Utah Mammoth, their own Logan Cooley and captain Clayton Keller were two of the 44 invited.
2 Utah Mammoth's Invited To Team USA's Men’s Olympic Camp
Today, Team USA’s Olympic management group released the 44 players invited to the Men’s Olympic Orientation Camp. On that list are two <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/utah" target="_blank">Utah Mammoth</a> forwards: captain Clayton Keller and Logan Cooley.