For years, goaltending has been the one constant people point to when the Carolina Hurricanes fall short in any capacity. Despite winning the Jennings Trophy in 2022 as part of the tandem that allowed the fewest goals, Frederik Andersen's health has made him an easy target. Pyotr Kochetkov's inconsistency has now brought him into the fold for the same criticism.
While some Caniacs look at the team through rose-colored glasses and defend the duo, others wish for the front office to chase every goalie under the sun to improve this area of concern. Several names have floated around the rumor mill over the years. Now, we have a new name to add to the rolodex in Utah's Connor Ingram.
Rumors are a dime a dozen, especially during the offseason, but one rumor really turned my head on Thursday. About 36 minutes into an episode of Sportsnet's Real Kyper and Bourne, Nick Kypreos claimed that Utah and Carolina thought they had a deal in place over the summer. While there were no other supporting details to the claim, it raised an interesting point.
The rumor came after Ingram was placed on waivers by Utah on Thursday. This move was expected after it was reported last week that Ingram wouldn't be joining the team for training camp with the expectation that he'd be placed on waivers, according to Utah GM Bill Armstrong. With his future uncertain and several teams likely to be interested, could the Hurricanes put in a claim?
Ingram's NHL journey has seen him face several situations head-on
To call Connor Ingram's journey harrowing to this point would be a disservice to just how tough the road has been. Selected in the 3rd Round of the 2016 Draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning, Ingram waited years to finally have his name called, though he'd do it with the Nashville Predators after being traded in 2019.
Ingram made his NHL debut on October 24, 2021, stopping 33 shots in Nashville's 5-2 win over the Minnesota Wild. He made one more appearance ten days later before stepping away from the team to enter the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program to help treat his undiagnosed OCD and depression, which led to issues involving alcohol.
After completing the program, Ingram returned in time for Nashville's playoff run. With Juuse Saros suffering an injury and David Rittich struggling in Game 1 against Colorado, Ingram jumped into action. Nashville would be swept, with Ingram losing all three of his starts, but he put together a 49-save performance in his first playoff start and posted a .913 save percentage.
Placed on waivers and claimed by the Arizona Coyotes, Ingram earned a true chance to see regular time in the NHL in 2022-23. However, it was the 2023-24 season that served as his emergence. Starting 48 games, Ingram tied for the league lead with six shutouts while winning 23 contests with a .907 save percentage. He was also honored with the Masterton Trophy at the end of the season.
Last season was not easy for Ingram. He started 13 of Utah's first 18 games, but his .871 save percentage was unsightly. He was placed on IR in mid-November, but didn't make another appearance for two months. It was revealed that the reason for his long absence was the death of his mother, who passed after a fight with breast cancer last December.
Returning to Utah in mid-January, Ingram made nine more appearances over the next month, with his numbers improving slightly. Amid ongoing issues, Ingram entered the Player Assistance Program for a second time on March 9th, ending his season. Ingram was cleared by the program in August, ahead of the start of training camp.
Why would the Hurricanes be interested in Ingram and where does he fit?
There is a better than naught chance that the Hurricanes won't be adding Connor Ingram on Friday as the waiver moves are announced. If the Hurricanes were to place a claim on Ingram, they'd be low on the pecking order because of their finish last season. If multiple teams claim the netminder, Ingram would be assigned to the team that placed a claim with the worst record.
Financially, the Hurricanes can make this work with ease. They have plenty of cap space remaining, and Ingram only carries a $1.95 cap hit through the end of the season. As a pending UFA on July 1st, if Ingram proves to be a fit, the Canes could try to extend him, giving them a potential Kochetkov-Ingram tandem next season.
The only logical argument against it would lie in Ingram's career totals. He's a career .902/3.14 goalie with only 102 appearances under his belt. He also lacks postseason experience, outside of being thrown into the fire in 2022 with Nashville. Ingram might not be an improvement over what they have in place, but the Canes' defense has a knack for making their goalies look really good.
With the ability to carry 23 players on the active roster, it isn't impossible to see the Canes carry three goalies, though I'd imagine Ingram would be the third-stringer, thus in the press box more often than not. However, injuries happen, so there's no way to know for sure.
All of this speculation could easily yield nothing come Friday, rendering this entire article pointless. However, we've seen the Hurricanes take a chance on goalies via the waiver wire a few times over the last few seasons. Could Connor Ingram follow the same path as Curtis McElhinney and Spencer Martin? Will another team claim him, or will he stick around Utah? We'll find out on Friday afternoon.