After back-to-back years of trotting out Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard as their opening-night goalies, the Edmonton Oilers will do something completely different in 2026-27: rotate through three goaltenders.

Going into the off-season, Tristan Jarry was the only goalie the Oilers had under contract, but on July 1, the team acquired Devon Levi from the Buffalo Sabres — a former top prospect who hadn’t yet made a full-time jump to the NHL. Later that afternoon, they signed reigning Stanley Cup champion Frederik Andersen to a one-year, $1 million contract.

In a recent slew of interviews at the Zach Hyman Celebrity Classic, several Oilers expressed their excitement with the new goalies, including the team’s captain, Connor McDavid.

“[Andersen] was really solid. Obviously, it’s really exciting. Even bringing in Levi, too. You know, having kind of a three-goalie system,” said McDavid. “Carolina’s obviously done that for a little bit. They obviously had success, and you know, injuries happen, and you always need to have somebody ready to go in there, and we’ll always have that.”

While three-goalie systems were once heavily stigmatized in the NHL, modern sports science and the growing appetite for load management have begun to change that perception. Last season, the Carolina Hurricanes, Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens, and Vegas Golden Knights each ran three-goalie systems at some point during the year, and all of them made deep runs in the playoffs.

“I think it’s going to become more common in the coming years,” said Oilers general manager Stan Bowman earlier this off-season. “Buffalo and Carolina, they both had a lot of success (last season). It’s been uncommon, for sure, in the past. But the way the schedule goes, in the modern game, goalies just aren’t playing 60, 70 games a year.”

An extra goalie in the rotation should be particularly appealing to Andersen, who has struggled to stay healthy during his tenure with Carolina. Before he joined the Hurricanes in 2021, Andersen spent five seasons as the Toronto Maple Leafs’ starting goalie, starting over 60 games in three separate campaigns. Hyman, who was in Toronto for Andersen’s entire tenure, was glad to be reunited with his former teammate.

“He just got married, so big congrats to Freddie,” Hyman said. “And he just won, obviously, so two rings for him in one summer, which is pretty good … He’s an unbelievable person, unbelievable teammate, unbelievable goalie, who’s now won, right, and that’s his pedigree. So, we’re lucky to have him.”

Andersen will not only be reuniting with Hyman but also with Mike Babcock, who was the head coach during his time with the Leafs. The changes behind the bench and between the pipes could prove pivotal for an Oilers team that’s hungry to bounce back from a disappointing first-round exit. Leon Draisaitl believes that a reset is just what the team needs.

“It seems like there’s lots of new faces,” he said. “I’m excited. You know, sometimes a fresh start can be great for groups and great for a team, a different look. I’m excited to have the guys, the new guys, around, excited to be with Babs. Yeah, we’re excited.”

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