Well that didn’t last long, did it? In a bit of a monkey’s paw scenario for the Edmonton Oilers, the new starting goalie has already hurt himself. Tristan Jarry, in just his third game as the Oilers’ starting goaltender, has landed on the injury reserve after suffering a lower body injury during Thursday’s win over the Boston Bruins.
While sliding across the crease to make a save, Jarry appeared to tweak something in a non-contact situation. Although very little is known of yet, Jarry has flown back to Edmonton to be reevaluated.
In subsequent moves, offseason addition Connor Ingram has been recalled from the Bakersfield Condors while Connor Ungar was assigned to the Condors. Try keeping track of these Connors today, not an easy task.
In 11 games with the Condors, Ingram has a 4–5–2 record with an .856 save percentage. Ungar has been the best goalie in the system thus far, with a sub 2.00 goals against average and .944 save percentage in 11 games with three different ECHL teams.
What do these moves mean?
First off, the Oilers had to do some maneuvering to make this recall work. Jack Roslovic, although he is expected to return to play soon, was moved to LTIR. Jarry was placed on the injury reserve. This freed up the cap and roster space to bring Ingram up.
Although very little is known about Jarry’s injury, the recall of another goaltender does not necessarily indicate a long-term absence. The Oilers are on the road right now with back-to-back games over the weekend, returning home for the second of those games on Sunday. Jarry will likely miss both of those, and we should not expect him back until after Christmas.
We have not yet seen Jarry fully settled into the crease for the Oilers. After such a long waiting period for the organization to make this type of move, it is unfortunate that he has suffered an injury so quickly into his tenure as an Oiler.
Ingram, despite unimpressive numbers in Bakersfield, will be given a chance to resume his career in the NHL after a difficult 2024–25 season saw him in the NHLPA Player Assistance Program. His return to the NHL is a testament to his strength and growth. Getting a chance to prove himself in what is likely to be a difficult matchup this weekend could give the Oilers another option in net, internally, to avoid needing to overpay for an external solution.
