Free agent goalies the Oilers could target this off-season

Alex Lyon

The second-best netminder on the market is Alex Lyon. In 2022-23, he went on a six-game winning streak to help the Florida Panthers make the postseason, before handing the reins over to Sergei Bobrovsky.

Lyon signed a two-year deal with the Detroit Red Wings before the start of the 2023-24 season. In his first 16 games with the team, Lyon had a .916 save percentage and a 17-8-2 record before dropping off a clip in the second half.

Last season with the Wings, Lyon had an .896 save percentage and a 2.81 goals against average in 30 games played, with a 14-9-1 record. Lyon is a solid backup netminder who can get hot in brief stretches.

Per AFPAnalytics, Lyon is projected to make $1.8 million annually on a two-year deal.

Ville Husso

Ville Husso was Lyon’s teammate in 2023-24 and 2024-25 with the Red Wings. In his first full season in 2021-22 with the St. Louis Blues, Husso had an encouraging .919 save percentage and a 2.56 goals against average.

After a trade to the Red Wings, Husso started the season off well, posting a .918 save percentage in 20 games, with an 11-5-4 record. Husso’s play fell off from there, finishing his final 36 games of the season with an .883 save percentage and a 15-17-3 record as the Wings missed out on the postseason.

The Finnish netminder didn’t play well in 2023-24, as he had an .892 save percentage and 3.55 goals against average in 19 games. He played just nine games with the Wings in 2024-25, posting an .866 save percentage and 3.69 goals against average in nine games before being demoted to the American Hockey League.

Before the trade deadline, Husso was traded to the Anaheim Ducks, where he played four games and had a .925 save percentage and 2.99 goals against average.

Is Husso a netminder the Oilers should look at? Maybe for their American Hockey League team, but he isn’t an upgrade over Skinner or even Pickard. Maybe he can recapture his ability from the 2021-22 season.

Alexandar Georgiev

Alexandar Georgiev is the only player who was born in Bulgaria to play in the National Hockey League. After five solid seasons with the New York Rangers, Georgiev was traded to the reigning Stanley Cup champions at the time, the Colorado Avalanche.

The 2022-23 season was the best of his career, as the 29-year-old netminder had a .919 save percentage and 2.51 goals against average in 62 games, finishing seventh in Vezina Trophy voting. In 2023-24, Georgiev was named as an All-Star, but he had an .897 save percentage and 3.02 goals against average in 63 games played.

Georgiev started the 2024-25 season off terribly with the Avalanche, posting an .874 save percentage and 3.38 goals against average in 18 games. The netminder was traded to the San Jose Sharks, where he posted similar stats behind an awful defence.

He’s in the same boat as Husso. Perhaps he bounces back at some point in his career, but the Oilers should only be interested in him as an American Hockey League option.

Ilya Samsonov

Similar to Georgiev and Husso, Ilya Samsonov had a good season as the Toronto Maple Leafs’ crease in 2022-23, posting a .919 save percentage and 2.33 goals against average in 42 games. The 28-year-old Russian struggled in 2023-24 and eventually signed with the Vegas Golden Knights ahead of the 2024-25 season.

After starting the most recent season off well, Samsonov eventually returned to earth and had an .891 save percentage and 2.82 goals against average in 29 games played. Unlike Husso and Georgiev, Samsonov had a strong defensive team in front of him.

These three goalies illustrate just how weak this unrestricted class of free agent netminders are.

Notable Restricted Free Agents

That said, some intriguing restricted free agents have yet to sign. If they wish to sign a player to an offer sheet, it’s worth noting that the Oilers don’t have their 2026 first-round pick. That means the highest AAV they can go to is $4,680,076, the compensation for which is a second-round pick.

Lukáš Dostáal had a .903 save percentage and 3.10 goals against average in 54 games played behind a weak Anaheim Ducks defence. Despite a save percentage notably weaker than John Gibson’s, Dostáal had a 14.3 goals saved above expected.

Remember when the St. Louis Blues signed both Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway to offer sheets last summer, significantly hindering the Oilers’ depth? Well, it could be time to give Joel Hofer an offer sheet out of pure spite. In 2023-24, he had a .914 save percentage and 2.62 goals against average in 30 games. This past season, it dropped to a .904 save percentage and 2.64 goals against average in 31 games.

The Montréal Canadiens have a weird goaltending situation going on. Sam Montembeault is the clear number one, but both Jakub Dobeš and Cayden Primeau are restricted free agents. The former looked good in his 16 NHL games, posting a .909 save percentage and 2.74 goals against average in 16 games played, along with a 9 GSAE.

Another restricted free agent netminder is Devon Levi, who seems like he’s on the cusp of breaking out. Although his nine NHL games didn’t go well, the 23-year-old had a .919 save percentage and 2.20 goals against average in 42 American Hockey League games this season.