Mark this day on your calendar. Frame it. Laminate it. Show it to your grandchildren.
The Edmonton Oilers have goaltending.
Take a moment. Breathe. It is real. This is not a drill. The franchise that has somehow surrounded two of the greatest players in the history of hockey with a rotating cast of netminders who collectively played like they had never seen a puck before has finally, mercifully, done something about it. General manager Stan Bowman walked into free agency on July 1st with a mission, a plan, and apparently the good sense to actually execute both. He signed Stanley Cup champion Frederik Andersen. He acquired Devon Levi via trade. He kept Tristan Jarry in the fold. He then presumably went home, poured himself something strong, and sat quietly in a dark room for a while.
Nobody would blame him. This was a big day.
Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have spent the better part of a decade doing things on an ice surface that defy physics, logic, and basic human comprehension, and have been rewarded with goaltending that, at its lowest points, resembled mediocre beer league quality at best. Two Stanley Cup Final appearances. Two losses to Florida. A first round exit against Anaheim this past spring. The goaltending was never — and we cannot stress this enough — good enough.
That changes now. Probably. Hopefully. Let us talk about why.
Frederik Andersen: The Stanley Cup Champion Takes His Shot in Edmonton
Here is what you need to know about Frederik Andersen: he is 36 years old, he just won the Stanley Cup, and his knee gave out in the Final like a folding chair at a backyard barbecue. He is also, when healthy and properly deployed, one of the most clutch goaltenders of his generation.
In the 2026 playoffs, Andersen was sensational. He went 13 wins and 2 losses across three Eastern Conference series, posting a 1.89 goals against average and a .910 save percentage with three shutouts. He won eight consecutive games at one point. He carried the Hurricanes to the Cup Final and was a legitimate Conn Smythe candidate before the knee sent him to the bench and handed the keys to Brandon Bussi. He left the ice a Stanley Cup champion, which is more than anyone in Edmonton has been able to say for a very long time.
He signed a one year deal at $2.8 million with $1.8 million in performance bonuses, which is essentially the NHL equivalent of a show me contract. Edmonton is saying: prove you can play, and we will pay you. Andersen is saying: watch me. When asked why he chose the Oilers, he was refreshingly direct. “Edmonton has been knocking on the door for a while now. It would be awesome to be a part of the team to get over the hump.”
The hump, for those keeping score at home, is approximately ten years tall and shaped like a goaltender.
Now for the honest part. Andersen has appeared in just 72 games over three seasons in Carolina, a casualty of the injuries and health complications that have followed him through the back half of his career. He carries a blood clotting history that has required LTIR placement. And Edmonton is not Carolina — the Hurricanes play one of the most possession heavy, shot suppressing systems in the league, and the Oilers absolutely do not. Andersen will face more rubber in Edmonton than he has seen in years.
The contract structure accounts for all of this. One million dollar base salary. Bonuses for games played. Edmonton is not betting the farm on a 36 year old goaltender with a complicated medical history. They are making a very reasonable wager that a healthy Andersen in front of McDavid and Draisaitl is a problem for the rest of the Western Conference. That wager, on its best day, looks very smart indeed.
Tristan Jarry: The Unsung Hero of Workload Management
Nobody is going to write a song about Tristan Jarry’s role in the 2026-27 Edmonton Oilers. There will be no highlight packages, no Conn Smythe conversations, no statue outside Rogers Place. What there will be, if everything goes according to plan, is a healthy Frederik Andersen in March because Jarry took the back end of back to backs in November.
That is the job. It is not glamorous. It is absolutely essential.
Jarry’s 2025-26 season in Edmonton was rough — a .858 save percentage in 19 games is not something you put on a business card. But as a pressure valve for an aging starter on a team with championship aspirations, he fills a specific and important function. He takes the games Edmonton needs him to take. He keeps Andersen’s minutes manageable. He does the unglamorous work so the headliner can be ready when it matters.
Every championship roster has a player like this. They just rarely get the credit they deserve.
Devon Levi: The Future Is Waiting Patiently in Bakersfield
And now for the part of this article that dynasty fantasy managers need to tattoo somewhere visible.
Devon Levi is 24 years old, was acquired for a third round pick in 2028, and is one injury away from stepping into an NHL crease in front of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. If you do not already have him on your dynasty roster, close this article, open your league app, and go get him right now. We will still be here when you get back.
Levi spent last season in Rochester with the Buffalo Sabres’ AHL affiliate, posting a 23-20-9 record in 52 games in what amounted to a developmental year on a team that did not give him a lot to work with. He will begin 2026-27 in Bakersfield, which is exactly the right call. Edmonton does not need him to be the answer today. They need him to be ready when today becomes tomorrow — and with Andersen’s health history, that transition could happen faster than anyone expects.
He was one of the most decorated goaltending prospects in recent memory coming out of Northeastern University. He is 24 years old. He is on a team built around two of the best players on the planet. The opportunity is real, the talent is real, and the price to acquire him in most dynasty leagues right now is embarrassingly low.
Do not be the manager who watches Devon Levi take over an NHL crease and realizes you could have had him for a fifth round pick in September.
The Bottom Line
The Edmonton Oilers have spent a decade building a generational offensive roster and a goaltending situation that ranged from mediocre to genuinely alarming. That era appears to be over. Andersen brings playoff credibility and championship experience. Jarry provides the workload management that keeps Andersen functional. Levi represents the sustainable long term future that makes this more than a one year band-aid solution.
None of this is guaranteed. With Andersen, nothing is ever guaranteed. But for the first time in a very long time, the Oilers can look at their crease without flinching. McDavid and Draisaitl have been waiting for this. The rest of the Western Conference should probably start worrying.
Hell has frozen over. Edmonton has goaltending.
Statistics and contract details sourced from NHL.com, ESPN, Pro Hockey Rumors, PuckPedia, and The Big Lead, July 2026.
— The Add List +