The Edmonton Oilers have some work to do if they hope to have better results during the 2026-27 season. One of their top needs heading into the summer is another impactful goalie. It is not difficult to understand why, as their goaltending was poor throughout the 2025-26 campaign.
Because of this, in a recent article for TheScore, Josh Wegman predicted that the Oilers will sign Carolina Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen to a two-year, $7 million contract if he hits the free agent market.
“Andersen is coming off a rough regular season, but the goalie-needy Oilers surely took notice of his stellar playoffs. At this stage of his career, a 1B role behind Tristan Jarry would be a proper fit. Andersen also enjoyed some of his best years in Toronto under Mike Babcock and D.J. Smith, who are now leading the Oilers,” Wegman wrote.
With Andersen being one of the top goalies who can hit the market on July 1, it would make a lot of sense if the Oilers made a push for him. He showed during the Stanley Cup Playoffs that he can still be a very solid goaltender, and the truth can be seen with his stats. In 16 games during the Hurricanes’ playoff run, he had a 13-2 record, a 1.89 goals-against average, and a .910 save percentage. On a short-term deal, he could be a nice pickup for the Oilers.
Oilers Signing Andersen Would Come With Some Risk
While Andersen had a strong postseason, it is clear that signing him would also come with some risk for the Oilers. The 36-year-old has dealt with injury trouble in recent years and is a candidate for regression with him entering his late 30s.
There is also the possibility that Andersen could struggle again if signed by the Oilers, just like he did during the regular season with the Hurricanes this past campaign. In 35 games during this past campaign with the Stanley Cup champions, he had a 16-14-5 record and set career worsts with a 3.05 goals-against average and an .874 save percentage. If the Oilers signed him and this kind of play translated over to next season, he would only create more issues for Edmonton’s already poor goaltending.
Andersen Could Still Bounce Back Next Season With the Oilers
While there are some red flags with Andersen, his playoff success this year could also be an indicator that he could bounce back next season. Keep in mind, this is a goaltender who has had a .903 save percentage or better in 10 out of his 13 career NHL seasons. With this, it is possible that the two-time All-Star can get back to these numbers next season if he signs with the Oilers.
With this year’s free agent goalie options not being the strongest, it could make sense for the Oilers to take a gamble on Andersen. A one-year contract would probably make more sense than a two-year contract due to the veteran netminder’s regular season struggles and past injury issues, though. It will be interesting to see if the Oilers end up being the team that lands him this summer, but he could very well stay in Carolina.
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