For a team that has spent years searching for stability in net, the Oilers suddenly have a very different kind of conversation going on.
Edmonton’s goaltending picture now includes Frederik Andersen, Devon Levi and Tristan Jarry, and that mix has created real optimism around a position that has been a sore spot for a long time. Andersen is the headliner, and plenty of people already view him as the best goalie the Oilers have had in the Connor McDavid era.
But getting him to Edmonton wasn’t the only path that seemed possible. According to Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman, there was a real belief that Andersen was headed to the Florida Panthers before their move for Jacob Markstrom changed everything.
Friedman said:
“Someone actually said to me that they thought that Freddy Andersen was gonna be in Florida, and then all of a sudden they traded for Markstrom, and that flipped everything on its ear. Like there was a guy who bet me that Andersen was going to be in Florida, and I am glad to collect on that bet,”
Andersen, 36, signed a one-year, $1 million deal with Edmonton on July 1, with as much as $1.8 million available in performance bonuses. He finished the regular season with a 16-14-5 record, a 3.05 goals-against average and a .874 save percentage in 35 starts, then turned around and delivered a huge postseason: a 13-2 run, a 1.89 goals-against average, a .910 save percentage and three shutouts on the way to a Stanley Cup.
He may not be in his prime, but the playoff run showed he can still rise to the moment and give a team elite goaltending when it counts.
That’s where the rest of Edmonton’s depth comes in. With Andersen’s age and injury history, having Jarry and Levi in the mix should help the Oilers manage his workload and keep him fresh for the kind of deep playoff push they’re hoping to make again.
In Other News...
Oilers Forward Sends A Clear Message About The Babcock Era
Vasily Podkolzin did not sound rattled by the reputation that follows Mike Babcock into Edmonton. In a translated interview, the Oilers forward said he is not worried about the new coach being hard on depth players, and he framed the move as part of a needed reset after a disappointing playoff exit. Podkolzin also described Babcock as a legend of world hockey, a notable endorsement from a player trying to carve out a bigger role.
Podkolzins comments carried a more personal edge when he turned to Kris Knoblauch, the coach he is now leaving behind. He acknowledged the change brings mixed feelings and said he is grateful for what Knoblauch did for him, which is the kind of detail that often gets lost when a team makes a coaching switch. For Edmonton, the message is clear enough: the room may be bracing for a different tone, even if the full shape of that change is still coming into focus. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Still Need One More Scorer Before This Window Gets Risky
The Oilers still have a little room to work with this summer, and the search for one more scorer has become the obvious place to spend it. Edmonton is sitting on about $5.9 million in projected cap space with only one restricted free agent left to sign, which leaves enough flexibility to chase a forward who can deepen the lineup without forcing a major roster shuffle.
Patrick Kane, Eeli Tolvanen, Vladimir Tarasenko, James Van Riemsdyk and Michael Bunting are among the names being floated as possible fits, each bringing a different kind of offensive profile. Kane appears unlikely to be headed back to Detroit after three seasons there, while Tolvanens recent production and Tarasenkos track record give Edmonton a couple of different ways to add punch, but the longer the market drags on, the more this starts to feel like a decision the Oilers cant afford to get wrong. [Read more 🡒]