The Edmonton Oilers are already looking at a potential nightmare for the 2026-27 NHL season.
They surely hoped that a new season would bring with it better performance from goalie Tristan Jarry.
After all, they traded a substantial return to the Pittsburgh Penguins to acquire Jarry last season. He was supposed to be an improvement in a position that hadn’t been going well for the Oilers.
Instead, he struggled down the stretch of the 2025-26 campaign, and he also got injured and missed some time, preventing him from finding a full rhythm.
Still, a new season combined with the fresh start brought with it some hope.
That hope immediately came crashing down on Tuesday night in a 6-5 overtime loss to the Vancouver Canucks.
Tristan Jarry Opening Night
Jarry had an absolutely miserable opening night for Edmonton.
The Canucks put 23 shots on goal. Six of them went in.
That means Jarry had just 17 saves and a 73.9 save percentage.
The Canucks needed just 1:59 in overtime to win the game, too, as Paul Cotter got his second of the night past Jarry — the first had been shorthanded — to win the game 6-5.
Jarry has started in 18 games as a member of the Oilers. He’s allowed 4 or more goals in 10 of his last 12 starts. Goals allowed per start:
3, 4, 1, 4, 0, 2, 6, 4, 5, 4, 5, 5, 7, 2, 1, 6, 4, 6.
That Dubas was able to trade him for heavy return remains astonishing.
— Josh Yohe (@JoshYohe_PGH) September 30, 2026
Interestingly, the Oilers never pulled Jarry on this night. There surely were some fans that figured the hook was coming.
Edmonton probably wanted to give him a chance to raise his confidence back up. The problem is that he kept giving up goals.
The Oilers nearly had a great comeback, trailing 5-2 before tying the game up to force OT.
But then there Jarry was, giving up another goal, and that positivity quickly vanished.
Backup Goalie Devon Levi
The Oilers are going to have to at least consider turning to their new backup, Devon Levi.
They also brought in Frederik Andersen this offseason, but he’s out with an injury.
Levi was once a highly promising prospect for the Buffalo Sabres who fell out of favor and spent most of the last two seasons at AHL Rochester.
He’s probably not a total savior, but he’s also a new face in a new place with a pedigree of potential. That’s not nothing.
The Oilers can’t afford a season of goalie misery. Time might be running out on the Connor McDavid era, and they still haven’t won a Stanley Cup. They owe it to themselves to try everything to make the goalie position at least a net-neutral, if not a strength.
Levi might be the answer, or he might not, but you can bet he’s going to get an opportunity sooner rather than later.
Oilers Have Tristan Jarry Problem; Devon Levi Trends