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.

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 hockey’s most outstanding player in each of those two seasons. His play at Northeastern was so remarkable that the Sabres fast-tracked him to the NHL during a late playoff push. He posted a .905 save percentage and won five of seven games that spring, nearly propelling the Sabres into the postseason.

Going into 2023-24, Daily Faceoff prospect analyst Steven Ellis ranked Levi as the fourth-best NHL-affiliated goalie prospect, ahead of Lukas Dostal, Joel Hofer and Sebastian Cossa. Ellis also cautioned patience, writing that while Levi was Buffalo’s goalie of the future, there was “no guarantee he’ll be the No. 1 out of the gate.”

Becoming a starter in the NHL immediately out of college would have been unprecedented. Ellis was right; there needed to be patience. Levi had a so-so rookie campaign, going 10-8-2 with an .899 save percentage. But ultimately, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen earned the starting job, and the Sabres sent Levi back down to Rochester.

Levi has spent most of the past three seasons in the AHL and hasn’t yet found success during his few NHL callups. But the upside remains.

He’s had sparkling numbers in the AHL over the past three years, posting save percentages of .927, .919, and .904. Bob Stauffer recently said on Oilers Now that Levi ranked among the AHL’s top 10 in goals saved above expected in each of the past three seasons. So, while he hasn’t put it all together at the NHL level yet, Levi has produced some exceptional results at both the college and the minor pro levels.

At 24, he’s reaching the point where many top goalie prospects begin establishing themselves. That’s something Oilers fans saw firsthand with Stuart Skinner, who made the NHL All-Star game as a 24-year-old rookie.

On a recent appearance on the Jason Gregor Show, InGoal Magazine’s Kevin Woodley described Levi’s playing style and what he needs to do to make a seamless transition into the NHL.

“His footwork kick is exceptional, his athleticism is exceptional, his puck tracking is exceptional, but being aggressive and relying on the footwork doesn’t allow him to use the other things as effectively,” said Woodley. “He’s moving a lot, as opposed to being able to be placed at spots and let the puck and the plays come at him. And so, I think that’s one of the adjustments that will be required in the NHL.”

While he may still have some refinements to make, Levi’s combination of college dominance, strong AHL play, and elite athleticism makes him well worth the gamble, especially for the price they paid. They can’t be certain he will be ready this year, but that’s why Bowman went and got some veteran insurance.

While Levi is a small, athletic goalie, Andersen is the complete opposite. At 6-foot-4, he uses his massive frame to cut down angles and take away the shooter’s perception of space. He isn’t as reliant on aggression or speed, which made him a perfect foil to Brandon Bussi in Carolina.

Andersen’s controlled game has consistently led to strong results over the past several years, according to publicly available analytics. Goals saved above expected is one of the best tools for evaluating goaltenders because, unlike save percentage, it accounts for shot quality rather than treating every shot equally. Andersen has posted a goals saved above expected above league average in four of the last five seasons.

Andersen’s .874 save percentage last season seems bad on the surface, but in context, it’s not nearly as catastrophic. The Hurricanes allowed the fewest shots in the league, but they also increased their risk profile this season and added more of a rush attacking element to their game. That led to more openings for other teams to counterattack in transition.

The result was a low volume, but high proportion of high-quality chances — arguably the most difficult environment for goalies. He didn’t get the easy perimeter shots to feel the puck and get warm. He stood around cold and then got thrown into the fire. So, while it wasn’t his best season, Andersen still outperformed his expected save percentage of .873.

Andersen possesses all the skills to support the other two goalies in Edmonton’s rotation. He plays a less chaotic game and has a wealth of playoff experience. If the Oilers can limit high-danger chances this season, Andersen can be a major difference-maker. And if his injury issues crop up again, Levi will get more opportunities to shine.

No player in the NHL had their season take a more tragic turn than Jarry. It was a masterpiece reduced to rubble in the blink of an eye. Through 14 starts with the Penguins, Jarry posted a .909 save percentage with 7.6 goals saved above expected. He was cruising toward the best season of his NHL career, until he took a detour to Edmonton.

Jarry sustained a lower-body injury in his third start with the Oilers and missed nearly two months. Upon return, his game completely fell apart. He finished the season with minus-11 goals saved above expected and an .858 save percentage in Edmonton — some of the worst metrics in the NHL over that span.

It’s unknown whether the injury had lingering effects or disrupted his rhythm and timing, but in any case, Jarry wasn’t the same goaltender in the back half of last year. The most troubling part of last season’s meltdown, however, is that it’s not the first time it’s happened. Just one year earlier, Jarry struggled and was demoted to the AHL partway through the season.

Despite the wild swings in his play, Jarry does have the upside to be a serviceable 1A goalie. He posted above-league-average metrics for three consecutive seasons in Pittsburgh from 2022 to 2024, while starting most of the team’s games. With a healthy body and a full offseason to reset, a return to form is not out of the question. It’s just not something the Oilers could bank on.

NHL clubs used to avoid the three-goalie system at all costs, but that’s starting to change. Last season, several teams deployed a three-man rotation, with the Montreal Canadiens, Buffalo Sabres, and Vegas Golden Knights being prime examples.

The workhorse starter is slowly going extinct as teams look to optimize performance by load-managing goalies. Tandems are the new norm, and three goalie systems are the natural next step in that evolution.

Carrying three goalies isn’t ideal for every team, but in Edmonton’s situation, it makes sense. They have the young, unproven prospect. They have the experienced but injury-prone veteran. And they have the wild card. None are necessarily reliable, but all three are worthy of a chance to prove themselves.

Bowman didn’t have any slam-dunk options this summer to improve the goaltending. So instead of betting the house on one option, he gave himself more outs. There’s plenty of potential, and more than enough unpredictability to make this trio one of the most compelling stories in Edmonton this season.

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