The Edmonton Oilers will aim to carry three goaltenders into the 2026-27 season.

As Jason Gregor noted, most netminders don’t like it, more teams have tried it recently, and the Oilers will experiment with it, at least to start the season.

For some, three goalies can seem like one too many, but did you know the Oilers have used five or more in a season six times in franchise history? Let’s take a look at which seasons and the reasons why.

1979-80: The Oilers used six goalies in their first NHL season

The 1979-80 campaign was the first season that the Oilers joined the NHL from the WHA, and as an expansion club, the Oilers quickly learned that finding stability in net would be a challenge, having used six goalies in their first NHL season.

Netminder Eddie Mio played the most for the Oilers after the WHA merger in 1979-80, posting a 9-13-5 record, with a 4.22 goals-against average (GAA) and a .868 save percentage (SV%).

Oilers’ goaltender Eddie Mio in 1979-80. Photo credit: CBC, April 2016.

Jim Corsi, who signed with the Oilers as a free agent prior to the start of the season, played the second-most games in net for the Oilers that season, compiling an 8-14-3 record with a 3.66 GAA and a .874 SV%.

At 38 years old, Dave Dryden was the veteran netminder for the Oilers that season, having played the previous four years with the club in the WHA. He played in 14 games, posting a 2-7-3 record, which was his final season playing professional hockey.

That said, while Mio and Corsi handled most of the workload, Ron Low quietly had the best numbers of any Oilers goalie that season, posting an 8-2-1 record, along with a 3.42 GAA and a .897 SV%.

Career minor-leaguer Don Cutts also saw action in net for the Oilers that season, playing six games for his hometown team, while Bob Dupuis, who was signed as a free agent in March of that season as an emergency backup, played in one game.

Edmonton posted a 28-39-13 record, finishing fourth in the Smythe Division.

1980-81: Veterans carry the load as Andy Moog establishes himself

It was another spin on the goaltending carousel for the Oilers in 1980-81.

Mio was once again the number one option in net, posting a 16-15-9 record, a .867 SV%, and improving to a 3.90 GAA.

The young netminder Low was given more responsibility between the pipes after posting good numbers in his first campaign in Oil Country. He played the second-most games (24), but had a losing record of 5-13-3, with a 4.44 GAA and a .856 SV%.

The Oilers brought in veteran Gary Edwards, who had 10 previous NHL........

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