Welcome, Internet friends, to What Would You Do Wednesday, the feature where I throw an Oilers question at you fine folks and see what you can come up with for a solution. This week, I want to talk about the goalie love triangle we’ve got going on because with Tristan Jarry, Frederik Andersen, and Devon Levi all in the mix, the Oilers are staring the year with one of the more interesting roster decisions they’ve had to make in a while

As we’re chatting here today, the plan is that the Oilers are going to carry three goalies for a while, at least to start the year. Tristan Jarry has the contract, the trade story, and the history of generally being a capable NHL goalie, Freddie Andersen has the veteran resume and is coming off a successful Stanley Cup run with Carolina, and Devon Levi is the young guy with enough upside that you’ll want to know what you have before carving any of your decisions in stone. There’s a case to be made for all three guys to be here, but that doesn’t mean the whole thing won’t get awkward quickly if any of them end up sitting in the press box for too long.

The tricky part of the equation is that the Oilers only have four pre-season games this year, so it’s not like everyone is going to get a pile of starts to grab the net before the season starts. Four games is barely enough time to get your timing back, never mind figure out which goalie looks the most ready to handle the job when the dance gets going for real. You know everyone is going to get a taste, and maybe the minutes for some will be more lopsided than for others, but I’m not sure how much you can really learn from such a small sample unless someone is either lights out or giving up goals in a Campbell-esque fashion.

Even who starts the home opener is interesting to me. My first instinct is Jarry because he has the biggest contract, was traded for at a high cost, and the Oilers probably need to know right away whether last year was a messy adjustment or if he actually fell off a cliff. There have been plenty of seasons when Jarry was a very good NHL starter, and if the Oilers believe there’s enough of that guy still in there, then giving him the opener probably makes sense. The problem is that this team can’t spend three months waiting for a goalie to find himself. This season is too important for that, and the pressure isn’t easing up any time soon.

If it’s not Jarry then Andersen feels like the safer play, mostly because he’s been around forever and probably isn’t going to be rattled by much. If the Oilers wanted to start the season with the veteran who is coming off a Cup win (I know he didn’t finish) and has seen basically everything, then Freddie might be the guy. He can be steady, he’s experienced, and there’s something comforting about knowing there aren’t many situations he hasn’t experienced. The only thing that gives me pause is that Andersen is not a guy I’d want to ride too hard for too long, so even if he gets the first look, the Oilers still have to be smart about their splits.

Finally, there’s Devon Levi, who might be the most fun answer and also the most complicated one. We all want to see what the kid can do. He’s 24, he has upside, was once the best goaltending prospect outside of the NHL, and there’s a real chance he shows up at camp looking like a guy who’s ready to make the jump to the National Hockey League full time. Even so, being excited about a young goalie and betting a Cup-contending season on one are not the same thing. Levi needs starts if he’s going to develop, but the Oilers needs wins more than that, and finding the balance between those two missions is going to be a tough job.

If we pretend for a moment that you are in control of this goalie situation, I want to know how you would handle it. Would you start Jarry on opening night and give him the first shot at proving he can be the goalie the Oilers expected him to be? Would you lean on Andersen because he’s a veteran safety net and probably the easiest guy to trust out of the gate? Would you make sure Levi gets real starts right away because carrying him without playing him doesn’t make a lick of sense given his potential? The second question is what you would do once the season is rolling. Are you looking for an even rotation, or are you riding whoever has the hot hand until they give you a reason to change?

That’s where I’m curious to see what everyone thinks because I don’t think there’s an obvious answer because of how goalies can be voodoo. I still think Jarry gets the first game because the Oilers aren’t about to punt on that trade just yet, but I’d have Andersen ready to take on more starts if ol’ Tristan can’t get the job done. With Levi, I’d want him playing enough that he has a real chance to push the other two, but I also wouldn’t want to throw too much on his plate before he’s earned it. Easy enough, right? Clear as mud. No way this becomes a daily debate before the season is even a month old.

So, what would you do, Nation? Who starts the opener, how would you split the starts, and how long should the Oilers let this three-goalie thing play out before someone gets moved out of the picture?

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