Oilers set to lose veteran to Canadian rival and Stan Bowman is in trouble

Connor Ingram is on the move this offseason, with reports surfacing Monday that the Edmonton Oilers goaltender is heading to the Ottawa Senators.

The report came from Bob Stauffer on OilersNow, cited by Oilers Daily on Tuesday evening.

Ingram, 29, finished the regular season with a .898 save percentage in 32 starts for Edmonton. That's a perfectly reasonable number. Solid backup, maybe a No. 1 on a rebuilding team.

But the Oilers got bounced in six games by Anaheim in the first round, and Ingram posted a .876 SV% in those five appearances. Not the reason they lost. Not blameless either.

Edmonton's crease situation has been a patchwork operation for two years now. Tristan Jarry was brought in and managed a .882 SV% in 33 starts. The Oilers finished 41-30-11 and ranked 14th overall. That's not a goaltending problem. That's a team problem. But Stan Bowman is clearly making moves.

Ottawa's crowded crease gets even more complicated

Here's the part that doesn't quite add up. Ottawa already has Linus Ullmark under contract at $8.25 million against the cap. He posted a .890 SV% in 49 starts this season. Ullmark is the starter, full stop.

So what exactly does GM Steve Staios think he's buying with Ingram at $1.95 million? A backup. A competition piece. Insurance on a crease that just went 0-4 against Carolina.

Think of it like trading for a spare tire when your car already has four and your engine just blew. The Senators' goaltending wasn't the issue in the playoffs.

The Senators finished 44-27-11 with 99 points this season, ninth overall in the league. Travis Green has real firepower to work with up front, from Tim Stutzle to Drake Batherson to Dylan Cozens.

What Ottawa doesn't have yet is a clear path through the Eastern Conference. They've got the regular-season resume. They got run out of the first round.

Adding Ingram doesn't change that equation. At $1.95 million it's not a cap killer, but it is a roster spot that could go to someone with more upside.

For Ingram, the move makes sense. New city, new opportunity, a chance to push for meaningful starts behind a team with 99 points.