Can The Oilers Realistically Fix Their Goaltending?

Only a handful of games into the NHL season, the Edmonton Oilers already have a troubling, all-too-familiar trend emerging in net. Entering the 2026-27 season, the Oilers had Tristan Jarry, Frederik Andersen, and Devon Levi in tow, along with many preconceived notions about all three and their ability to backstop the Oilers. After a couple of games, all three netminders have followed the script many set for them this summer. Jarry has been awful, Andersen is on the shelf, and Levi has been inconsistent. None of this is new; it was predictable. So, can the Oilers fix it? And if so, how?

The obvious option, and arguably the nuclear option, is Winnipeg Jets netminder Connor Hellebuyck, who requested a trade months ago and is seeking a new home. Would he want to play in Edmonton? If he wants to win a Stanley Cup, he will certainly consider it, as many feel the Oilers are a goaltender away from being a Cup contender. Hellebuyck is Edmonton’s dream scenario, and obviously the hardest goalie for them to acquire. He has five years remaining on an $8.5MM-per-season contract and holds a no-movement clause. If Edmonton made a trade, they’d almost certainly need to include Jarry, who also has trade protection in the form of a 12-team no-trade list that Winnipeg is probably on. Hellebuyck is the best option, but probably not a realistic one given the Oilers’ lack of cap space and tradeable assets. Adding Jarry to a deal (if they could) would also require an extra asset to offload his awful contract, making a Hellebuyck acquisition even tougher.

But if acquiring someone is the goal, the drop-off after Hellebuyck is sizeable, to put it gently. The Oilers could look at Sam Montembeault of the Montreal Canadiens, as he’d be a realistic trade target given the Habs’ deep goaltending pool and Montembeault’s awful 2025-26 season. Montembeault was quite good before last season and could be had at a discount in a trade, and on the cap, where he counts just $3.15MM this season in the final year of his deal. At 29, Montembeault is just two years removed from receiving Vezina Trophy consideration (he finished eighth in voting) but has had wild year-to-year swings in performance. Since he is essentially another Jarry, it’s probably not the best gamble for the Oilers.

Then there is Jordan Binnington of the St. Louis Blues. He’s been linked to the Oilers in the past and is another realistic target, though his cap hit could be a problem, as could his play. By the numbers, Binnington has arguably been one of the worst goalies in the league over the last two years. While he’s a big-game goaltender, he would need to show up in the regular season with much better results than he has in the last couple of seasons. Like Montembeault, Binnington would be a gamble, and the Oilers would be banking on a struggling goaltender to turn things around after getting a blank slate. It hasn’t worked with Jarry, and it’s probably not a great gamble for Edmonton to make again with Binnington or Montembeault.

What about Adin Hill in Vegas? Could he be a possibility? Probably not if Vegas has its way. The Golden Knights love gamesmanship, which makes it hard to believe they’d send a goalie to their divisional rival. Hill wouldn’t be an ideal fit in Edmonton given his recent play, but he does have a Stanley Cup on his resume and has shown he can heat up at the right time. That said, he has five years left on his contract (including this one) at $6.25MM per season, which isn’t cheap, though nearly half of the cash has already been paid out in signing bonuses. Hill wasn’t just bad last year; he was borderline unplayable with an .870 SV%. The Oilers can ill afford to give up more assets to end up with an expensive, below-average goaltender if Hill doesn’t figure things out.

Then there is the final option: stand pat and hope someone, anyone, figures out the goaltending. This might be the most prudent option given Edmonton’s precarious spot. However, it is not without risk. If Edmonton finds itself in a spot like last December, when they made the terrible Jarry trade, they might get rinsed again if goaltending options are few and far between. Their current goaltenders also have a history. Levi is a bit of an unknown, but Jarry is what he is, and Andersen always has injury concerns. Should the Oilers gamble on that? Well, it’s either gamble on that or gamble elsewhere, and they currently have a wild card in Levi, who could work out, or Andersen, who is another wait-and-see option. If Andersen returns, takes consistent starts, and plays close to average, he is exactly what the Oilers need. If he can’t, the options aren’t great, but the one that remains is the big swing: Hellebuyck.