How many games each Edmonton Oilers goalie should play next season
The Edmonton Oilers are opting for an out-of-the-box goalie rotation for next season.
Instead of acquiring two goalies to share the net, GM Stan Bowman opted for a more unconventional three-man rotation between the pipes. The Oilers decided to let Connor Ingram go in free agency and instead brought in veteran Frederik Andersen and traded youngster Devon Levi.
Those two will join Tristan Jarry, who had a trainwreck of a tenure with the Oilers last season, but whose contract is limiting Edmonton’s options to trade him away. The hope will be that Jarry will bounce back next season, but how will he be utilized with two other goalies looking for starts?
The NHL will be moving from 82 games to an 84-game schedule for the 2026-27 season, meaning the utilization of goalies will look a little bit different.
Handling the three-goalie rotation will come down to new head coach Mike Babcock, and he will need to strike a delicate balance to ensure all three goalies are pulling on the rope. So, how should the team approach things next season?
Let’s take a look at each goalie…
Frederik Andersen
David Kirouac/Imagn Images
Heading into the season, it would appear that Andersen is poised to be the Oilers’ starting goalie.
The 36-year-old is coming off an unbelievable Stanley Cup run with the Carolina Hurricanes and is by far the most established goaltender on the Oilers. Andersen will likely get the most starts for Edmonton during the regular season and playoffs, but it might not be as many as you think.
The Danish goaltender admitted in his introductory press conference that his days of playing 50 or 60 games in a season are far behind him. Apart from his age, Andersen has also run into injury issues over the last several seasons and was playing through something in the playoffs.
Oilers fans should expect both those factors to play a role in Andersen’s workload this upcoming season, and it feels safe to ballpark him for about 30 to 35 starts.
That number could obviously change depending on health and performance.
Tristan Jarry
Stephen R. Sylvanie/Imagn Images
A lot of hope is being put on Jarry having a bounce-back season with the Oilers.
Things went less than ideal after he got traded to Edmonton last December, and he quickly lost the starting job to Ingram. The frustration with Jarry is that he has proved to be a good NHL goalie in the past, having put up an excellent start to last season with the Pittsburgh Penguins before falling off a cliff with the Oilers.
Jarry will be given a chance for redemption with the Oilers and will likely be the team’s second-most-used goaltender behind Andersen next season. After all, you need to give a goalie more games if you want him to regain his confidence.
Going into the season, the expectation should be that Jarry gets roughly 25 to 30 starts.Ā
If things go off the rails once again, don’t count out the team waiving him to the AHL as they did with Jack Campbell a few seasons ago.
Devon Levi
Timothy T. Ludwig/Imagn Images
Levi may not be ready to be a starting goalie in the NHL, but he will get his biggest opportunity this season.
The Oilers took a chance in trading for the 24-year-old goaltender, and his waiver-eligibility will likely keep him in the NHL for most of the upcoming year. That means that Levi will be getting more chances at the NHL level than he ever has before, but don’t expect the Oilers to throw him straight into the fire.
Having both Andersen and Jarry on the roster means that the Oilers will be able to ease Levi into the league without putting too much pressure on the young goalie. He will probably spend most nights backing up on the bench, but will be thrown the odd game here and there to give the veterans a night off.
He’ll also act as insurance in case Andersen gets injured or Jarry continues to struggle. It seems safe to put Levi around 15 to 20 starts, with potential to increase if he catches fire or a situation arises with the other goaltenders.
That would set him up nicely to potentially take on a bigger role in 2027-28 when Andersen comes off the books.