The Oilers’ goaltending situation has a new wrinkle, and it comes with Devon Levi getting the start tonight against the Vancouver Canucks.
On the surface, it’s just another turn through the rotation. But this one feels worth a closer look, because Levi is arriving in Edmonton with a lot to prove and a very thin NHL track record to lean on.
Last season in Buffalo, he went 2-7-0 with a 4.12 goals-against average and an .872 save percentage. Those numbers don’t exactly inspire confidence.
Still, goalies can turn strange in a hurry when the right opportunity shows up.
That’s part of what makes Levi interesting here. A new setting can matter.
So can trust. And sometimes a young goalie just needs one chance to show he belongs before the whole picture starts to shift.
The Oilers opened the season with Tristan Jarry in goal for a pretty straightforward reason: he was the veteran, he had been around, and he put together a strong preseason. When a team is sorting through its options, that’s the obvious first move.
But Jarry hasn’t looked like a full reset from last season’s version of himself. There have been stretches where he’s resembled the goalie Edmonton was trying to move past.
That doesn’t mean the team is ready to make a dramatic call after a few games, and it certainly doesn’t mean Jarry’s time is suddenly over. He looked very good in preseason, and nobody should be writing his Edmonton obituary yet.
Still, the door is open for someone else to grab ground. Frederik Andersen isn’t expected back until December at the earliest, so the Oilers have a window here.
Jarry can use it. Levi can use it.
Maybe both can.
And that’s why tonight matters. If Levi walks into Vancouver and delivers a strong game, the conversation around Edmonton’s crease changes fast.
One game doesn’t solve a goaltending situation. But it can earn another start.
Another start can build confidence. And confidence can turn a backup-looking opportunity into something much bigger.
So yes, Levi is getting a start. But this one feels like more than that. It feels like a chance to shift the conversation entirely.
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Gretzky also said he hopes McDavid eventually gets the Stanley Cup finish that has so far eluded him, pointing to the way the Oilers captain carries himself and his constant drive to win. For a fan base that lives and dies with McDavids decisions, the timing matters too, because he wont be able to sign another extension until July 1, 2027, leaving plenty of runway for the speculation that always follows a player of his stature. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Suddenly Face A Bigger Nugent-Hopkins Concern Than Fans Expected
The Oilers forward depth took another hit Monday when Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was placed on injured reserve after a lower-body injury suffered late in practice. The timing adds another layer of concern for Edmonton, which has already been managing a crowded injury list and now has to navigate a stretch without one of its most reliable two-way centers, with the expectation being that the absence could last about two weeks.
Josh Samanski was recalled under emergency conditions to help fill the gap up front, giving the Oilers another temporary option while the lineup stays in flux. Edmonton also has Matt Savoie and Alec Regula on long-term injured reserve with month-to-month timelines, so Nugent-Hopkins status only sharpens the pressure on a depth chart that is already being tested in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]