It's a rarity for a National Hockey League team to carry three goaltenders on its pro roster. It happens, but it's generally a sign that there is no true (or at least no known) starter. That's absolutely the case for the Edmonton Oilers. They'll take three options into the 2026-27 season, giving each a chance to show that he's the one who should play the lion's share of the games, and leave the back up job to the other two.
In between injuries, Tristan Jarry looked like a minor leaguer in most of his starts last season. He lost the starting job to Connor Ingram, complained about the defense in front of him, and posted some truly awful statistics in an Oilers jersey. Frederik Anderson struggled throughout the regular season, only to turn things around completely as he led the Carolina Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup Final. Complicating the outlook for this season, he injured his knee and had to watch his team win its final games to clinch the championship.
Devon Levi has been itching for an opportunity to show he belongs in the NHL, and he should have far more goal suppor than he did with the Buffalo Sabres. He's possibly the longest shot of the three, but also has the best chance at being a long term answer for the Oilers.
Positive goal differential is the goal
The most telling statistic that reveals itself when comparing the past three seasons isn't goals for. It isn't a league's best powerplay. The factor that could have accurately predicted the Oilers' postseason disappointment is goal differential. The 2024 version, that came within a game of the Cup win, tilted the ice, scoring and preventing opposing goals. The following year, the team was not a match for the Florida Panthers, and its goal differential had slipped. And last year, the Oilers simply leaked goals against. So much so that their Top 5 scoring didn't matter.
It seems obvious, but consistently outscoring your opponent directly leads to wins. If the team can be up two goals late in the third period, their opponent is far less likely to force overtime, or a shootout, where a single bounce can cost the game. Over the course of a full season, that means more standings points, better position and playoff seeing, and ultimately it should mean a more straightforward path to the Stanley Cup final.
Whichever one of the Oilers netminders plays well enough that head coach Mike Babcock has to keep starting him, has a chance at being a hero to Oilers fans, and potentially the final ingredient that turns the team from contenders into champions.
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