The Edmonton Oilers get the special privilege of playing on the very first night of the 2026-27 NHL season.
They’ll be at home at 7 p.m. local time hosting the Vancouver Canucks in a Canadian showdown. They’re one of five games on the opening night of the season.
It’s the beginning of a pivotal season in Edmonton. As chatter swirls about Connor McDavid, it’s crucial for the Oilers to get off to a strong start that can limit the overall speculation about what their superstar’s future might hold.
A big key to that, as it is with all teams, will be the play the Oilers get in net.
Their goalie play in most of McDavid’s career has left a lot to be desired. They can’t afford to be too poor back there this season.
The Oilers lost at least one potential goalie option this offseason when Connor Ingram retired.
They also are without Frederik Andersen, who they brought aboard in the offseason but who isn’t healthy for opening night.
That left a pretty straightforward choice in goal.
Edmonton Oilers Starting Goalie
Tristan Jarry will be the Oilers’ starting goalie on opening night, and likely more often than not until Andersen gets healthy.
Jarry is now 31 years old, he was acquired last season in a trade from the Pittsburgh Penguins that sent fellow goalie Stuart Skinner the other way.
Jarry has been a quality player in his career, but he has never had a less effective stint than his time with Edmonton after the deal.
He played 19 games for the Oilers, and he did have a 9-6-2 record, but his stats were poor. Jarry had just an 85.7 save percentage coupled with a 3.86 goals against average.
Given the Oilers’ goalie struggles in recent years, some of it all can probably be chalked up to their defensive contributions from their skaters.
Still, it wasn’t ideal for Jarry, and it raised a lot of question marks for this season.
Because of the circumstances around him, though, Jarry is getting this starting job pretty much by default. He’ll have to perform well to keep it for the long haul.
Oilers Goalie Depth Chart
With Andersen hurt, Jarry is joined on the Oilers’ depth chart by Devon Levi.
Levi was once a highly promising goalie prospect in the Buffalo Sabres’ organization. He does have NHL experience, although he spent the vast majority of his time in the last few seasons at AHL Rochester.
The one thing Levi has that Jarry doesn’t is potential untapped upside. It’s not a guarantee that Levi can still grow and improve, but he hasn’t fully proven that he’s incapable of that, either.
At best, Jarry is what he is. Levi comes with a bit of mystery.
That may not earn Levi tons of starts in the early going, but the move from Buffalo to Edmonton this offseason did put him in a better spot to eventually get a real chance to prove what he can do.
Oilers’ Starting Goalie Decision Didn’t Have Much Choice