Friday Four: Oilers’ Ingram could have most upside in crease

The Friday Four is a collection of thoughts and information on some intriguing storylines from around the NHL. On deck this week is:

• Ingram is a good low-risk, high-reward bet for the Oilers
• Can Frederic hang on the Oilers’ top line?
• If all three Hughes brothers want to play together, it will almost certainly be in New Jersey
• Lundell has a huge opportunity to shine

Connor Ingram, Edmonton Oilers

The Edmonton Oilers finally traded for a goalie, albeit not the significant acquisition some fans (and maybe even Connor McDavid) had been hoping for. Edmonton had been patiently surveying the market before settling on a low-risk, high-reward move for Ingram. The 28-year-old is coming off a very challenging season in Utah, both on the ice and off of it. Ingram had an .882 save percentage with a goals against average well above three in 22 appearances with the Mammoth in 2024-25. He also dealt with injuries and entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program in March following the death of his mother from breast cancer.

Ingram isn’t coming to the Oilers with a lot of fanfare, but he’s cheaper than it would’ve cost to trade for Spencer Knight, and he doesn’t have the cap hit of a John Gibson, two other goalies who were dealt in the past year. He does come with plenty of upside, though. So much so that Ingram could end up being a better option for the Oilers than Stuart Skinner or Calvin Pickard if all the stars align and he can find his game again.

Before we get too ahead of ourselves here, it’s important that Ingram goes to AHL Bakersfield to get his confidence back. As noted earlier, Ingram appeared in just 22 games last season, and he wasn’t anywhere near his best, so if Edmonton plans to rely on him, he’ll have to get closer to the level that he displayed in 2023-24.

In that campaign, Ingram played at a high level and showed the upside the Oilers are banking on. He played in 50 games, posted a .907 save percentage for the second year in a row and saved 8.3 goals above expected. It’s also worth noting, the then Arizona Coyote gave up 756 high-danger chances that season, allowing the ninth most in the league overall. Ingram was able to overcome that and still post really strong numbers. Conversely, Utah gave up the fewest high-danger chances in the NHL in 2024-25, but Ingram still really struggled, which would suggest his game needs plenty of work before the Oilers can really trust him in any key situations.

Edmonton was also very good at limiting high-danger chances last season, finishing fourth-best in the league. Skinner, though, still posted minus-1.5 goals saved above expected and his numbers have been trending downward in that area. He saved 6.8 goals above expected in 2022-23 and then just two in 2023-24, before finishing in the negative last year. He’s never had a season with as many goals saved above expected as Ingram, though he has posted a better career save percentage.

However, what ultimately matters most to the Oilers at this point is post-season play. Edmonton got an .888 save percentage from Skinner and Pickard combined in the 2025 playoffs, and the worst mark from any Cup-winning team in the cap era is .902. The Oilers were miles away from that.

It would be a low bar for Ingram to exceed if he can get his game right by the time next spring rolls around, and even if he provided Edmonton with league-average goaltending in the post-season, it would be a huge advantage for a team that has failed to reach the top of the mountain in consecutive seasons by the slimmest of margins.

You could argue that Skinner and Ingram’s best seasons were very comparable, although we’ve seen Ingram reach that level more recently than Skinner. The Oilers are now betting that one of them recaptures that form in 2025-26 so they can ultimately take that final step in their pursuit of the championship. There could easily be a scenario where Ingram is starting playoff games for Edmonton seven months from now. He has the talent to earn that position, he just has to find it again.

Trent Frederic, Edmonton Oilers

Frederic already has a lot to live up to in his short time with the Oilers. Frederic was shipped to the Oilers back in March and promptly signed an eight-year deal with a $3.8 million AAV in June. The deal raised a lot of eyebrows, mainly for the term, as Edmonton made a huge commitment to a player that only had 55 career goals in 338 games.

Now there’s even more pressure on Frederic’s shoulders heading into the 2025-26 season, since it appears he’s going to be starting on the Oilers’ top line with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. It’s easy to assume that almost anyone could play with skaters as talented as McDavid and Draisaitl, but that’s a misconception. Edmonton has tried a few options on the top line in recent years that didn’t pan out. The likes of Connor Brown and Jeff Skinner seemed like perfect fits initially, though they weren’t able to click with McDavid and ultimately fell down the lineup.

Not only do you need the physical skill to play with elite players, you have to think the game at a high rate of speed as well. Nobody can skate at McDavid’s level, so you have to be able to anticipate the play and be in the right position to capitalize on opportunities. This is something that Zach Hyman does very well, as well as digging pucks out of the corner and getting them to more skilled players like McDavid to create offence. If Frederic can use his physicality in a similar fashion and win some puck battles, it would go a long way to helping him stick with a player like McDavid.

The expectations are huge in Edmonton this season, and the Oilers are clearly counting on Frederic to be a major contributor. It’s a big ask to have someone who was mainly in a bottom-six role in Boston to play with the best player in the world and have success. If Frederic can pull it off and become a serviceable top-line option, though, that contract is going to look a lot better and age very well.

Luke Hughes, New Jersey Devils

Luke Hughes is reporting for duty. After a long stalemate between Hughes and the New Jersey Devils over his new contract, the two sides finally put pen to paper on Wednesday, locking up the 22-year-old for seven years at $63 million. It’s a huge win for Hughes, who, despite having never hit 50 points in a season before, gets to cash in at a time when the salary cap is rising rapidly and Kirill Kaprizov just signed the richest deal in league history only one day prior.

With the cap going up, combined with Hughes’ ability, the Devils will likely be very happy with their investment. But New Jersey may have also accomplished something else with this pact. The three Hughes brothers haven’t exactly been hiding the fact that the trio would like to play together someday, and if they ever decide to put that plan into action, this seven-year deal all but ensures it will be in New Jersey.

There were rumblings that Luke wanted his next contract to be for five years, so it would expire at the same time as his brother Jack’s in 2030. One would assume that would be so that both players could potentially be unrestricted free agents at the same time, giving them more flexibility around continuing to play together if they wanted to test the market down the line. Now, Luke is locked up for two more years than Jack, making New Jersey the most likely place for all three brothers to unite if they eventually plan to do so.

As far as Quinn Hughes goes, he still has two years remaining on his current deal before he becomes a free agent, unless he plans to sign an extension with the Vancouver Canucks next summer. We shouldn’t discount that possibility, as the Canucks could offer Hughes the most term and most guaranteed money on his next deal. That said, the Canucks are coming off a nightmare season where they took a big step back from the year prior and now have a new head coach. Vancouver has a lot of ground to make up in a short amount of time to try and convince Hughes to stay long-term. At the same time, the Canucks will want to know what Hughes’ intentions are next summer because they won’t want to lose him for nothing if he isn’t planning on re-signing.

That means if Quinn is looking for a new team in two years, one would think the Devils would obviously be high on his list because both of his brothers are already there and we know Luke is likely going to be there for the next seven seasons. Are there other ways the three brothers could link up? Sure, but none of those options seem very plausible. Could the Canucks trade for Jack and Luke if Quinn re-signs in Vancouver? It’s not impossible, though there’s probably a better chance of Jaromir Jagr making an NHL comeback at 53 than that happening.

What if all three brothers asked for trades to the same team? In theory, it could happen, but it’s not likely that there could be a team with enough assets and cap space to acquire them all. The Devils already have two of them worked into their cap equation, so while it would be challenging to absorb a future Quinn Hughes contract, it would definitely be feasible.

The logistics of all three Hughes brothers playing together were always going to be complicated, though New Jersey has now at least put itself in a position to potentially make it happen with two of them locked up long term. It remains to be seen if or when the trio will share the ice, but if it eventually all comes together, odds are it will be in a Devils sweater.

Anton Lundell, Florida Panthers

For most teams, losing a player of Aleksander Barkov’s caliber would be devastating, and make no mistake about it, it’s a big blow to the Florida Panthers, too. Barkov can play in any situation and against the opposition’s top players. He’s the best defensive forward in the league and also has the ability to score 90 points. Florida will miss him greatly, but if any organization can absorb the blow of losing its best player, it’s the Panthers.

That’s in large part thanks to the centre depth they possess, which includes Lundell. The 23-year-old has been Florida’s third-line centre for the past few seasons, but would be playing higher up the lineup on almost any other team. The Panthers have Barkov and Sam Bennett in front of him, though Lundell has been unheralded for the work he’s done and played a key role in Florida making three straight Stanley Cup Final appearances.

Lundell anchored a line that also featured Brad Marchand and Eetu Luostarinen in the 2025 post-season, which gave opponents fits and made the Panthers a matchup nightmare. Florida was comfortable playing this so-called third line at any time and against anyone. They were frequently matched up against their opponents’ top lines throughout the post-season and regularly won their minutes, while also lighting up the scoreboard in the process. The trio combined for 21 goals and 57 points last spring, giving Florida a boost from its bottom six that no one else can rival.

With Matthew Tkachuk also sidelined for at least the first few months of the season, Lundell and company will move up a slot and play in the top six. That will pose a new challenge for Lundell, but the former 12th overall pick is well equipped to handle the task. If the Panthers want him to check the other team’s best line, Lundell can handle that. If they want him on the ice late in the third period to chase a tying goal, that line has the ability to generate offense as well.

If you aren’t familiar with Lundell’s game, expect a crash course in just how good he is with Barkov out of the lineup. It won’t be long before everyone gains a much bigger appreciation for what he’s capable of.

More from Sportsnet

Why Oilers decided to give Connor Ingram a shot

Frederic settles in alongside McDavid, Draisaitl as Oilers beat Canucks