The Edmonton Oilers changed up their goaltending picture this summer, signing longtime NHL goalie Frederik Andersen to form a tandem with veteran Tristan Jarry. But how should new Oilers coach Mike Babcock use the two goalies?
The Edmonton Oilers’ goaltending picture has changed rapidly this week, with GM Stan Bowman picking up Stanley Cup-winning netminder Frederik Andersen in free agency, then adding youngster Devon Levi in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres.
Goaltending has been a major problem for Edmonton in recent years, and Bowman knew he couldn’t run it back with the same tandem of veterans Tristan Jarry and Connor Ingram in 2026-27. But Jarry is still under contract for the next two seasons at a salary cap hit of $5.375 million per season, and Bowman wasn’t going to find a home for the goalie whose struggles were plain to see last year. So Ingram moved on instead, and it’s now a tandem of Jarry and Andersen as Edmonton’s top two goalies.
But there’s still a major question – and it concerns the usage of Andersen and Jarry this season. What does new Oilers coach Mike Babcock plan to do with Jarry and Andersen’s playing time?
There’s a very real danger of overuse with Andersen – and that danger could lead to Andersen being injured and out of the playoff picture for a considerable length of time.
After all, this is a goalie who hasn’t played more than 35 games in a season since 2021-22. And in the 2025-26 regular season, Andersen posted an .874 save percentage and a 3.05 goals-against average.
Andersen is the same goalie who ran very hot and very cold in this year’s Cup-winning run as a member of the Carolina Hurricanes. In the first three rounds of the post-season, Andersen posted three shutouts as the Canes steamrolled to the Cup final.
But once he got there, Andersen posted an SP of .885 or worse in the first three games of the series against the Vegas Golden Knights before Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour gave up on him in favor of the inexperienced Brandon Bussi.
So, the 36-year-old Andersen – who’ll be 37 in October – is coming into a high-pressure situation with the Oilers that didn’t end well. And make no mistake – Andersen is now Edmonton’s starter. Will Babcock play Andersen in 50 games? Forty-five games? Does Edmonton want an even split between Andersen and Jarry? That doesn’t sound particularly comforting.
Indeed, Jarry played 33 games between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Oilers this past year – and while he put up a .909 SP and 2.66 GAA in 14 games as a Penguin, Jarry’s numbers with the Oilers were abysmal.
In Edmonton, he posted a .858 SP and a 3.86 GAA in 19 games. So, playing Jarry 40 games or more this coming season while Andersen plays the rest doesn’t feel like a solution that will lead to a lot of wins.
Now, at some point in the season, if Jarry struggles badly enough – and if Levi shows enough promise in the American League – we could see Levi get the opportunity to thrive in Edmonton.
The 24-year-old Levi has been a good AHL goalie, but he didn’t play well in limited NHL action in 2024-25, the last time he made an appearance in the NHL. Thus, when the Sabres traded Levi, they did so knowing his development took a lateral step.
At some point, if Jarry wobbles, you have to imagine Bowman will waive Jarry and demote him to the AHL after there are no takers for his contract. That’s already happened to Jarry in his time in Pittsburgh. And if it weren’t for his current contract, Jarry might not be in the NHL right now.
The Oilers have to win while superstar Connor McDavid still wants to be in Edmonton. So gambling with goaltending has a real risk of being the factor that prevents McDavid from winning a Cup as an Oiler. But for the foreseeable future, Andersen and Jarry are being asked to do what many goalies couldn’t do – and that’s deliver a championship to Edmonton.
And the way Babcock employs Andersen and Jarry could be what determines how successful the Oilers will be in 2026-27 and beyond.
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