Edmonton Oilers set to lose one of their crucial players to Canadian rival

But the move solves a different problem than the one the Senators actually have.

Bob Stauffer of OilersNow reported Tuesday that he has a strong suspicion Ingram lands with the Ottawa Senators when free agency opens July 1.

Ottawa Citizen reporter Bruce Garrioch had flagged Ottawa's interest separately in early June, noting the Senators needed to stabilize the backup position behind Linus Ullmark.

Ingram, 29, posted a .899 save percentage and a 2.60 goals-against average in 32 regular-season starts for the Edmonton Oilers this past season.

Those are solid, backup-level numbers.

Ullmark started 49 games for the Ottawa Senators in 2025-26, posting a .890 save percentage.

Ottawa finished with 99 points and ninth overall in the league.

They didn't get bounced in the first round because of backup goaltending - Ullmark handled the starter's load all season.

They got bounced because Travis Green's group still hasn't answered the harder structural questions that show up when a playoff opponent has a week to game-plan.

Ingram at roughly $3 million annually gives Steve Staios insurance. It does not give Ottawa a new identity in the crease.

The Edmonton Oilers losing Ingram to free agency is a footnote in a much larger question.

They still have no confirmed starting goaltender heading into 2026-27.

Tristan Jarry posted a .882 save percentage in 33 starts last season, and the Oilers still finished 41-30-11 before exiting in the first round.

Goaltending wasn't the only reason they lost to Anaheim in six games, but it also wasn't a strength.

Stan Bowman clearing the crease of Ingram makes sense only if something bigger is coming at that position.

Without that, Ottawa gains a backup and Edmonton gains nothing.