To say the Edmonton Oilers backed themselves into a corner with the Tristan Jarry trade would be an understatement.

Between his contract and Jack Campbell’s buyout, the team had already committed roughly $7.9 million to their goaltenders next season, with an empty roster spot left to fill. That price might’ve been palatable had Jarry performed like a true starter, but instead, he struggled. It would’ve been irresponsible for the Oilers to bank on him being next season’s starter.

They needed to find someone who could push Jarry for the starter position. And they needed it to come cheap. Despite a weak pool of unrestricted free agents to choose from, Bowman found a creative solution by adding not one, but two new goalies.

The first was 24-year-old Devon Levi, whom the Oilers acquired from the Buffalo Sabres for a third-round pick. Levi had spent the entire 2025-26 season with the Rochester Americans in the AHL, posting a .904 save percentage in 52 games. As a highly regarded prospect, Levi had been waiting for an opportunity to establish himself in the NHL, but a crowded crease in Buffalo stood in his way. Edmonton now offers him that opportunity.

The second goalie they acquired was 36-year-old Frederik Andersen, who signed a one-year deal worth $1 million and an extra $1.8 million in performance bonuses. The veteran has over 550 NHL games under his belt, mostly with the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Carolina Hurricanes, serving as the starter for both clubs. Injuries have prevented Andersen from playing more than 35 games in each of the past four seasons. That helped reduce his cap hit and made him a viable option for Edmonton.

The result of the Oilers’ offseason work is a fascinating three-man rotation featuring goalies who couldn’t possibly be more different from one another. All three come with significant question marks. But all three have starter upside. Over the next 84 games, one will emerge as the starter in a crucial year for the organization.

Devon Levi

There was a time, not long ago, when Levi was one of the most exciting prospects in the sport. Canadian hockey fans first got a glimpse of Levi during the 2021 World Junior Championship, where he backstopped Canada to a silver medal.

He built on that momentum with a pair of impressive college campaigns with Northeastern University. In both 2022 and 2023, Levi won the Mike Richter Award, given to the best college goalie in the nation, becoming the first player ever to win the award twice. He also finished top 10 in Hobey Baker Award voting for college........

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