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31 Oilers Questions: Can Tristan Jarry bounce back in 2026-27?
Photo credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Aug 25, 2026, 13:00 EDTUpdated: Aug 25, 2026, 13:02 EDT
This August, Oilersnation will ask one question about every Edmonton Oilers player projected to be on the 2026-27 roster in preparation for the upcoming season. From Connor McDavid to Mattias Janmark, let’s ask some questions.
As a whole, Stan Bowman’s tenure as the Edmonton Oilers’ general manager hasn’t been all that bad. While the prospect pool is shallow, young players like Matthew Savoie and Vasily Podkolzin have broken out, with Ike Howard having the potential to do the same.
Moreover, the Oilers will enter a season accruing cap space, the first time in a long time that’s happened. A big reason for that is being able to move Darnell Nurse’s entire cap hit, replacing him with Ryan Shea. Bowman has made more good moves than bad, but there are still two glaring mistakes he’s made since taking the reins in the summer of 2024: Trent Frederic’s eight-year contract, and the Tristan Jarry trade.
In this edition of 31 Oilers Questions, we’ll ponder whether or not Jarry can bounce back in 2026-27.
Can Tristan Jarry bounce back in 2026-27?
Simply put, the Oilers need some stability in the crease. Before even digging into whether Jarry can bounce back or not, it’s important to add some context.
The Oilers’ crease has been a carousel even before the Connor McDavid/Leon Draisaitl era. There was some stability in Cam Talbot for a handful of years, and Mike Smith had some good games, but they have yet to find that star goaltender.
Stuart Skinner had the potential to be that star goaltender, having a promising rookie season in 2022-23 where he made the All-Star Game. However, he had some rough playoff games, not just in 2023, but also in 2024 and 2025. If he were just a little bit better, or more consistent, McDavid and Draisaitl likely already would have their names on the Stanley Cup.
Instead, the Oilers lost back-to-back Stanley Cup finals to the Florida Panthers, and instead of fixing the problem, the Oilers ran the Skinner/Calvin Pickard tandem back. It went about as expected.
Skinner played 23 games with the Oilers, entering mid-December with an .891 save percentage and 2.83 goals against average. On December 12th, he, Brett Kulak, and a 2029 second were traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Jarry.
The hope is that Jarry performs like he did in 2021-22, when he finished the season with a .919 save percentage and 2.42 goals against average in 58 games. Since then, it’s been a gradual decline for the Surrey, B.C. product, posting a .909 save percentage in 2022-23, a .903 save percentage in 2023-24, and an .893 save percentage in 2024-25.
Despite being placed on waivers during the 2024-25 season, it looked as if Jarry rebounded, as the 31-year-old had a .909 save percentage and 2.66 goals against average in 14 games before the trade. But after the trade, Jarry played 19 regular season games. It didn’t go well, finishing with an .858 save percentage and 3.86 goals against average. Jarry’s final 20 games saw him post a -11.1 Goals Saved Above Expected, eighth-worst in a sample size of 98 netminders.
Another source of hope is that Jarry spent some time on injured reserve, which surely played a role in his .858 save percentage after joining the Oilers.
While there is hope he can rebound, at least to the standard he showed with the Penguins this past season, I wouldn’t be betting my life savings on a rebound year. As good as Jarry was in 2021-22 and 2019-20, those seasons are a distant memory.
The good news is that he just needs to be playable. He’ll have plenty of competition in the form of Devon Levi and Frederik Andersen as the Oilers plan to use a three-goalie tandem. If he doesn’t live up to his cap hit of $5.375 million, he’ll be the one often in the press box instead of on the bench or in the crease.
Other Oilers questions…
- Which offseason acquisition will have the greatest impact on the Oilers?
- To trade or keep Spencer Stastney?
- Is winning a Stanley Cup the only way McDavid will re-sign?
- Can Kasperi Kapanen stick in the top six?
- Can Colton Dach have a breakout season?
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for DFOEdmonton, DFOCalgary, and Blue Jays Nation. Follow her on X at @Ryley__Delaney.
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Edmonton OilersTeam Cap Summary
Cap Summary
2026-27
2027-28
Projected Cap Hit
$99,274,166
$87,350,000
Projected Cap Space
$4,725,834
$26,150,000
Current Cap Space
$4,725,834
$26,150,000
Active Players
23/23
15/23
Draft Picks
Round
'26
'27
1
0
0
2
1
1
3
1
0