The Edmonton Oilers have three goalies they trust. When Kris Knoblauch talked about Connor Ingram replacing Tristan Jarry, it wasn’t over-analysis, just a coach liking what he sees. He didn’t sell it or decorate it. He was simply saying what coaches say when they mean it: He’s been solid.
Ingram has made the most of his opportunities in the Oilers’ Crease
Since getting the chance, Ingram hasn’t tried to steal the net. He stabilized it. Knoblauch pointed out that all but one of Ingram’s starts were strong, and a few were better than that. Knoblauch mentioned the most recent against Chicago’s best Ingram. He offered no ostentatious praise, just his honest assessment.
Good goaltending is what the Oilers needed. No nightly heroics. Only saves when it matters, calm when things get going, and a goalkeeper who doesn’t look upset when the game goes south for a minute. Ingram gave them that. Big saves at important moments. Don’t panic. No drama. For a team that has experienced enough of both, that’s no small feat.
The complication is that the Oilers now have three goalies
Of course, what complicates this all is that Edmonton suddenly has three goalies to think about. Tristan Jarry is working his way back from injury and Knoblauch was clear about one thing: they are not rushing him. This was a play Jarry could have started, but the Oilers chose patience over impulse. Extra rest now can mean fewer problems later.
And here’s where it gets interesting.
Knoblauch admitted this is new territory for Edmonton. Three goalkeepers. And he doesn’t have a clear blueprint or set rotation yet. Is this a short-lived situation? A few weeks? Longer? The Oilers coach didn’t pretend to know. The word he kept coming back to was day by day. That’s not indecision, that’s flexibility. It’s a coach who reads the room, reads his players and refuses to lock himself into a plan just to sound decisive.
The bottom line is that Knoblauch isn’t worried
What is most striking is this: Knoblauch is not worried. Not about Ingram. Not about Jarry’s return. He wasn’t worried about Calvin Pickard. Not even about the tricky math of three goalkeepers. Because when a backup steps in and plays like someone who belongs, it buys everyone time. It lowers the temperature. It makes the coach think instead of reacting.
Connor Ingram hasn’t fixed Edmonton’s season. But now he’s given them something just as valuable: options. And in this competition, quiet options are hard to find.
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