Free agency opens later this week, and the Edmonton Oilers still have a goaltending problem hanging over their summer plans.
Stan Bowman is expected to add at least one new goalie to work with Tristan Jarry, and the search could go a few different ways. Bringing back Connor Ingram has been floated, but that would leave Edmonton with the same tandem that ended in a first-round exit. That path is still on the table, but it sounds like Bowman will look hard at every option before settling on the simplest one.
A trade would be tougher to pull off. The Oilers do not have a deep stash of appealing assets to chase a proven starter, and if they can move Darnell Nurse before July 1, that would give the front office more room to maneuver in free agency.
The problem is that this year’s goalie market is thin. There are names to consider, but not many clean answers. Still, a few could at least give Edmonton something to think about.
Sergei Bobrovsky is the biggest one. He’s 37, coming off a rough 27-23-1 season with a .877 save percentage and -12.2 GSAx, and he would instantly settle the starter question in Edmonton.
He would also come with real baggage. Bobrovsky is in the back half of his career, there are already concerns about a downturn, and he is expected to want term on his next deal.
He also won’t come cheap.
Frederik Andersen brings a different kind of appeal. He’s 36, posted a 16-14-5 record with a .874 save percentage and -3.3 GSAx in 2025-26, and has dealt with injuries in recent years.
But he stayed relatively healthy while sharing the crease with Brandon Bussi this past season, and his playoff run was strong: a 13-2 record and .910 save percentage over 15 postseason games. Like Bobrovsky, he has Stanley Cup pedigree.
Unlike Bobrovsky, he may come at a lower price.
Cam Talbot is another veteran option. At 38, he’s nowhere near his peak anymore, and his 12-9-6 season with the Detroit Red Wings was a disappointment by the numbers, including an .883 save percentage and -13.1 GSAx. Even so, there was a time when he was the best goalie to wear an Oilers sweater over the last decade, and his track record before this season still carries some weight.
Stuart Skinner is the wild card. He seems highly unlikely to return to Edmonton, but he may be the best goalie in this free-agent group.
The 27-year-old Edmonton native put up a 23-17-9 record, an .888 save percentage and +8.3 GSAx in 2025-26, and he has plenty of playoff experience. His name doesn’t carry the same clout as Bobrovsky or Andersen, but the numbers make him one of the most interesting options on the board.
A return to Alberta feels remote, though it cannot be ruled out completely.
Then there’s Daniil Tarasov, a 27-year-old who quietly put together a solid season with Florida. He went 13-15-3 with a .895 save percentage and -1.8 GSAx, and he actually outplayed Bobrovsky this past year.
The catch is that Florida is likely moving on from Bobrovsky, which makes it hard to imagine Tarasov getting away too. If he does hit the market, he could be a cheaper tandem option for Edmonton alongside Jarry.
In Other News...
Oilers May Have A Surprising Path To A Darnell Nurse Trade
With free agency approaching, the Oilers are still working through a potential Darnell Nurse trade, and the market around the veteran defenseman has already taken on an unexpected shape. Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Boston are among the clubs believed to be in the mix, giving Edmonton multiple avenues to explore as it tries to move a significant contract off the books and reshape its blue line.
The twist is that not every possible landing spot comes with the same kind of financial baggage, and that has made the process more complicated than a simple list of suitors. Nurse also has not agreed to widen his trade list to Anaheim, even as the Ducks remain part of the conversation around Edmonton, leaving one of the more intriguing possibilities unresolved as the Oilers try to find the right fit before the market opens. [Read more 🡒]
Stan Bowman's Worst Oilers Moves Are Already Hard To Ignore
Stan Bowmans first few major roster swings in Edmonton are already drawing second-guessing, and it is not hard to see why. The Oilers added Trent Frederic, Tristan Jarry and Andrew Mangiapane in moves meant to firm up different parts of the lineup, but the early returns have been uneven enough that each decision is now part of the same larger review as the offseason approaches.
Frederic, in particular, stands out because of the commitment attached to him after he was brought in at the 2025 trade deadline, and his production has not matched that level of faith. Jarrys arrival was supposed to change the look of the crease, but his stint has been complicated, while Mangiapane was another bet on offense that quickly lost steam. For a team trying to keep pace with championship expectations, the concern is less about any single move than the pattern forming around Bowmans early choices. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Just Made An Unusual Camp Move Fans Will Debate
The Oilers are doing something you almost never see at an NHL development camp, bringing in three female hockey players for an opportunity usually reserved for prospects in the mens game. It is a notable wrinkle for Edmonton, which announced the invites in a press release and is set to give Abbey Murphy, Caitlin Kraemer and Chloe Primerano a chance to work alongside the organizations young players.
Beyond the novelty, the move stands out because it opens a different kind of conversation about where elite womens hockey talent can fit into NHL development environments. Murphy, Kraemer and Primerano each arrive with a strong rsum from the womens game, and for the Oilers, the setup adds an unusual layer of interest to a camp that will already be closely watched for how players handle the jump in pace and expectation. [Read more 🡒]