This week, the Edmonton Oilers reshaped their goaltending situation by signing Stanley Cup champion Frederik Andersen as a free agent and acquiring rising prospect Devon Levi in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres.
After years of goaltending difficulties, Edmonton General Manager Stan Bowman decided against retaining the veteran tandem of Tristan Jarry and Connor Ingram for the 2026‑27 season. Jarry remains under contract with a $5.375 million cap hit for two seasons, and his disappointing play the previous year left the Oilers without a clear spot for him. Ingram was therefore let go, paving the way for a new goaltending pair centred on Jarry and the newly signed Andersen.
The primary unanswered question heading into the season is how new Oilers coach Mike Babcock intends to distribute ice time between Andersen and Jarry.
Andersen faces a significant risk of overuse, which could result in injury and sideline him for an extended portion of the postseason.
He has not logged more than 35 games in a single season since 2021‑22, and his 2025‑26 campaign produced an .874 save percentage and a 3.05 goals‑against average.
During his 2025 championship run with the Carolina Hurricanes, Andersen was spectacular in the first three playoff rounds, recording three shutouts en route to the title.
However, in the final series against the Vegas Golden Knights, his save percentage slipped to .885 or below in the first three games, prompting Carolina’s head coach Rod Brind’Amour to replace him with the inexperienced Brandon Bussi.
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At 36 (turning 37 in October), Andersen enters a high‑stakes environment in Edmonton after a difficult finish with Carolina. He is now clearly Edmonton’s starting netminder, but uncertainty remains about his exact workload—whether Babcock leans toward a 45‑ or 50‑game season or splits duties evenly with Jarry—which still feels unsettling.
Tristan Jarry logged a combined 33 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Oilers last season. While he posted a .909 save percentage and 2.66 goals‑against average in 14 games with Pittsburgh, his performance in Edmonton was far less impressive.
In 19 games with Edmonton his numbers fell to a .858 save percentage and a 3.86 GAA. Consequently, a scenario where Jarry assumes 40 or more games while Andersen takes the remainder appears unlikely to produce a high win total.
Should Jarry falter markedly at any point during the campaign, and if Devon Levi demonstrates sufficient promise in the AHL, the Oilers could consider giving the young goaltender a shot at the NHL level.
Levi, 24, has shown solid play in the AHL, but his brief NHL stint in 2024‑25 was underwhelming. The Buffalo Sabres therefore traded him aware that his development had plateaued.
Oilers Unlikely To Move On From Polarizing Goaltender
Despite a disappointing debut, Edmonton may double down on Tristan Jarry rather than paying a premium to dump his contract, banking on the netminder’s ability to rebound.
If Jarry’s play regresses, General Manager Stan Bowman may be forced to waive him and reassign him to the AHL, especially if no other clubs are willing to assume his contract—a scenario that already occurred during his stint with Pittsburgh. Without his present contract obligations, Jarry likely would not be competing for an NHL roster spot today.
With Connor McDavid still seeking to win a championship in Edmonton, the Oilers cannot afford goaltending instability; a failure in that area could ultimately deprive McDavid of his first Stanley Cup as an Oiler. Nonetheless, Andersen and Jarry are now entrusted with the Herculean task of delivering Edmonton its first championship—a responsibility few netminders could fulfill.
Ultimately, coach Mike Babcock’s decisions regarding Andersen and Jarry’s ice time may well dictate the Oilers’ fortunes from 2026‑27 onward.
