In today’s NHL rumors rundown, did the Edmonton Oilers pick Calvin Pickard over Connor Ingram? If so, why? In other news, Anthony Stolarz has signed a team-friendly extension with the Toronto Maple Leafs. How did that deal come together, and at that AAV? Finally, what’s the latest on the talks between the New Jersey Devils and Luke Hughes? Is this deal close to happening?
Barkov Out 7-9 Months
The news on Aleksander Barkov‘s injury is not good. The Florida Panthers star will be out 7-9 months and will miss the chance to captain Team Finland at the 2026 Olympics. Elliotte Friedman wondered if the Panthers might eventually announce that Barkov could miss the entire regular season and playoffs.
The Panthers will have to make some tough choices. Who will they ask to step up? Is Anton Lundell ready to embrace an elevated role? Or, will the Panthers try to make a move to add to their roster?
Oilers Preferred Pickard to Ingram
On the most recent 32 Thoughts podcast, Elliotte Friedman spoke about the Connor Ingram situation, where the netminder went unclaimed on waivers. One of the teams linked to Ingram was the Edmonton Oilers, and Friedman said that many were surprised the Oilers didn’t claim him.
Saying Ingram’s inconsistent availability played a role in his going unclaimed, the reason Edmonton didn’t take him was because they weren’t prepared to unseat Calvin Pickard to bring in a question mark.
Michael Dipietro (Boston) and Clay Stevenson (Washington) remain in the mix for the Oilers if either player hits the waiver wire. That said, Edmonton would have to think long and hard about claiming either based on how much they like Pickard. In particular, Pickard is widely praised by teammates for his reliability and locker room presence. Dipietro and Stevenson are younger options with lower salaries, which might be the only reason Edmonton would consider them. Ingram wasn’t a thought.
Related: 4 Takeaways From Oilers’ 4-3 Preseason Victory Over Canucks
Friedman noted that the Oilers think a lot about the fact that they only have $3.6 million of their cap tied up in the position.
In other Oilers’ news, the team is expecting forward Vasily Podkolzin to return to the team on Tuesday and could be in the lineup on Friday. He’s been away on personal leave following the passing of his father. Jake Walman is still also day-to-day.
Stolarz Deal Considered a Steal
Early reactions following the news that Toronto locked in goaltender Anthony Stolarz to a four-year extension are that the Maple Leafs did extremely well. When he’s healthy, Stolarz is an extremely good goalie. The $3.75 million AAV is widely being viewed as a team-friendly deal.
Luke Fox of Sportsnet writes, “The Maple Leafs are doubling the term of Storlaz’s previous contract while giving him a modest $1.25 million raise. The risk here is that a 31-year-old goaltender with a shaky health record who has never started half the games in a single season can carry a starter’s workload. The risk on Stolarz’s part is settling for a figure lower than he would be able to command on the open market should he deliver another campaign similar to 2024-25, when he posted the best save percentage in the NHL (.926).”
Fox adds, “Neither side wanted to mess up a good thing,” and it was important to Stolarz to get something done before the season started.
Devils Still Working on Luke Hughes
Friedman noted that there is still work to be done to finalize the Luke Hughes deal. Meanwhile, NJ.com reports, “Things have progressed positively (relatively speaking) over the past several weeks. If we were to guess, we think Luke winds up with an eight-year deal with a $9 million average annual value.”
Friedman was careful in reporting that the two sides still were far apart, however. He noted, “We kept hearing no movement, no movement, no movement. The Ducks move and the deal gets done.” The NHL insider seemed to be hinting that the same thing could happen with Hughes.
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