Ingram wins Masterton trophy for perseverance
Connor Ingram, the goaltender who shared how his undiagnosed obsessive-compulsive disorder led him to drink to cope with anxiety and has blossomed into a full-time NHL player, has won the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.
Ingram had a breakout performance for the Arizona Coyotes this past season, years removed from seeking and receiving help from the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program, which is run jointly by the league and union and has been in the headlines lately for others’ participation.
“You don’t do these things for awards. I did this to get my life back together,” Ingram told The Associated Press on Wednesday. “The fact that you get recognized for it is something that a lot of people who put their life back together don’t get.”
The other finalists were Calgary’s Oliver Kylington, who stepped away for more than a year and a half for mental health reasons, and Carolina’s Frederik Andersen, who missed several months this season while dealing with blood clotting issues. The Masterton is voted on by members of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association.
“Those other two guys were more than deserving, so just to be in that group and to be a part of it’s pretty exciting,” Ingram said.
Ingram was on Nashville’s practice squad early in the pandemic-delayed and shortened 2021 season when he went into the player assistance program and left the Predators in late January. He returned to play a handful of games for the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League that spring, but it wasn’t until he sold his house and cars and moved from his hometown of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, to Nashville that summer that he met his fiancée and got back on track.
“I just restarted,” he said. “It was good for me, and it was good to restart.”
Ingram made his NHL debut Oct. 24, 2021 — roughly nine months after going into the program — and appeared in four playoff games in the spring of 2022 when Juuse Saros was sidelined by injury and David Rittich faltered in the first-round opener. Claimed off waivers by Arizona in October 2022, he has since made 74 starts, sharing the net with Karel Vejmelka, who has become a friend and a seatmate on buses and planes.
“Half the time when I got something I want to talk about, he wants to talk about it, too,” Ingram said. “We’re pretty similar and we think a lot the same, so he’s a great guy to have around.”
Now 27 and with Utah after the franchise relocated there to begin play in Salt Lake City in the fall, Ingram said he hopes his best hockey is ahead of him after taking advantage of the opportunities he eventually got to show what he could do.
“I felt like I was a guy who just never went away,” he said. “I played seven years in the minors and just slowly grinded my way until you get that opportunity. That’s all you can ask for is a chance, and when somebody gives it to you, you better be ready to go with it or else it’s not going to last very long.”
Utah general manager Bill Armstrong said the organization was proud to be represented by Ingram.
“Connor’s journey through adversity and his unwavering commitment to the game of hockey truly embodies the essence of the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy,” Armstrong said. “Since his return, Connor has not only excelled on the ice but has emerged as an inspiration to hockey players across the globe as he continues to tell his story and emphasize the importance of seeking support during life’s darkest moments.”
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Kristen Shilton
The Vancouver Canucks have come to terms with forward Brock Boeser on a new seven-year contract, carrying a $7.25 million AAV.
Canucks GM Patrik Allvin announced the deal on Tuesday during the first hour of NHL free agency. Boeser, 28, was an unrestricted free agent on a previously expiring contract.
Drafted by Vancouver 23rd overall in the 2015 NHL draft, Boeser has collected 204 goals and 434 points in 554 games with the Canucks to date. A top-six scoring threat, Boeser has elite playmaking skills and the potential to produce big numbers offensively. He had his best year offensively in 2023-24, producing 40 goals and 73 points in 81 games.
Boeser didn’t hit those marks again last season — settling for 25 goals and 50 points in 75 games — but was still second amongst teammates in output. He also plays a prominent role on Vancouver’s power play and when he can generate opportunities at 5-on-5, he is a true difference-maker up front for the Canucks.
The extension is a happy ending for Vancouver and Boeser. When the regular season ended, Boeser admitted “it’s tough to say” whether he’d be back with the Canucks. Boeser reportedly turned down a previous five-year extension offer with the club and Allvin subsequently looked into deals for him at the March trade deadline, with no takers. Boeser looked — and sounded — poised to explore his options on the open market.
Ultimately, Boeser decided to stay put by committing the best years of his career to the Canucks.
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Ryan S. Clark
Washington Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary signed a seven-year extension through the 2032-33 season that is worth $6 million annually, the team announced Tuesday.
Fehervary, who had one year of team control remaining, will enter the final season of a three-year bridge deal that will see him make $2.675 million before his new contract begins at the start of the 2026-27 season.
He finished the season with five goals and a career-high 25 points while logging 19 minutes. Fehervary also played a crucial role in the Capitals’ penalty kill by finishing with 245 short-handed minutes for a penalty kill that was fifth in the NHL with an 82% success rate.
Securing the 25-year-old Fehervary to a long-term deal means the Capitals now have seven players who have more than three years remaining on their current contracts.
It also means the Capitals front office has one less decision to make ahead of what is expected to be an active offseason in 2026 that will see the club have what PuckPedia projects to be $39.25 million in cap space.
That’s also the same offseason in which captain and NHL all-time leading goal scorer Alex Ovechkin‘s contract will come off their books along with that of defenseman John Carlson.
But until then, the Capitals have their entire top-six defensive unit under contract as they seek to improve upon a 2024-25 season that saw them finish atop the Metropolitan Division with 111 points before they lost in the Eastern Conference semifinal to the Carolina Hurricanes in five games.
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