The Edmonton Oilers have made some bold moves this offseason as they look to get past last year’s disappointment.
Edmonton was eliminated in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, as the Oilers once again got a poor performance from their goaltending. So, to begin the offseason, Edmonton addressed it as the Oilers traded for Devon Levi from the Buffalo Sabres and signed Stanley Cup champion Frederik Andersen to a one-year deal.
Although the Oilers added two goalies, Tristan Jarry is still under contract, and Oilers insider Jason Gregor expects Edmonton to carry all three.
“They are going to carry three goalies, that is my understanding. Andersen, Jarry and Devon Levi. I think it’s fair to say there are question marks here,” Gregor said on Real Kypr & Bourne. “Andersen is not a 55-game starter anymore. Last year, he started 35; he has a history of injuries. Tristan Jarry didn’t have that history, but for the last two years, he has. Between the two of them, can they play enough games? And Devon Levi is your third-stringer who plays 20. I think that is their strategy.”
The Oilers carrying three goals on the roster would be a bit of a surprise, but Edmonton has the cap space to do it. And, there are some injury concerns around Andersen and Jarry, so it does make sense to carry all three.
Oilers GM Explains Decision to Trade for Levi
Levi is a young goalie who has plenty of potential, but hasn’t been able to get a chance in the NHL.
So, after trading for Levi, Oilers GM Stan Bowman explained the decision and felt like Edmonton needed a young goalie in the system.
“Tristan’s going to be back. We’re still looking at some other things,” Bowman said. “The most important thing was to find a good young goalie that I think has a lot of promise to his game, and I think with Devon Levi in Buffalo, he has played whatever it is, 30 or 40 NHL games, so it’s not like he’s totally new to the opportunity, but his most recent success has been in the American Hockey League, and I think he’s probably knocking on the door waiting for that opportunity.”
“We see a lot of upside in his game. Certainly, he’s had some really strong seasons. When you’re able to replicate success at the AHL level for multiple years, that’s usually an indicator of someone that’s ready to break through, and we saw that last year, where Brandon Bussi was sort of in the same boat. He ended up in Carolina, winning the Cup, and we think Devon’s ready to take the next step and show what he can do at the NHL level.”
Edmonton’s other move was signing Andersen after he helped the Carolina Hurricanes win the Stanley Cup.
Edmonton Active This Offseason
Following last year’s playoff disappointment, the Oilers were active in the offseason, overhauling their roster.
Edmonton’s offseason moves, so far, are as follows:
- Acquire Shakir Mukhamadullin and Zack Sharp from the Sharks for Darnell Nurse
- Acquire goalie Devon Levi and a 2028 7th-round pick from the Sabres for a 2028 3rd-round pick.
- Sign goalie Frederik Andersen to a one-year, $1 million deal, and can earn up to $2.8M.
- Sign Mathieu Joseph to a one-year, $1 million deal.
- Ink defenseman Ryan Shea to a five-year, $20 million deal.
- Re-sign Kasperi Kapanen to a one-year, $2.6 million deal.
The Oilers still have just over $7 million in cap space.
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