- Tristan Jarry is the early front-runner to open next season as Edmonton’s No. 1 goalie
- Stan Bowman plans to carry three netminders in Jarry, Frederik Andersen and Devon Levi
- Read below for the numbers working against Jarry and how the crease shakes out
The Oilers’ crease got crowded this summer, and Tristan Jarry is the early name at the top of it.
Pro Hockey Rumors’ morning notes, citing Alan Mitchell of The Athletic, pegged Jarry as the front-runner to be Edmonton’s starter in 2026-27. Jarry was GM Stan Bowman’s first choice to fix the position, and he carries the biggest contract of the three, which gives him the early edge.
Edmonton isn’t keeping just two goalies, though. Bowman plans to run a three-man group to start the year, with Jarry, Andersen and Devon Levi all on the NHL roster.
Oilers insider Bob Stauffer laid out the pecking order back in July:
Money and roster rules explain the setup. Jarry has two years left at $5.375 million a season.
Andersen signed a one-year deal in free agency, a $1 million base loaded with bonuses. Kevin Weekes of ESPN broke the news on July 1:
Levi is the wild card. Edmonton gave up a 2028 third-round pick to land the 24-year-old from Buffalo, and he loses his waiver exemption this season, so there’s no quietly stashing him in the AHL.
There’s real pedigree in the group. Andersen just won the Stanley Cup with Carolina, going 13-2 with a 1.89 goals-against average in the playoffs. He’s also 36, which is a big reason the Oilers wanted him and want a third body to keep his workload light.
Jarry is the favorite, but last season gives Oilers fans reason to squirm. In 19 games after arriving from Pittsburgh, he went 9-6-2 with an .858 save percentage. That number won’t hold a starting job for long.
New head coach Mike Babcock gets to sort it out in camp, and he already knows Andersen from their Toronto days. Whoever grabs the net first is doing it on a short leash, with two goalies waiting right behind him.
