The Edmonton Oilers goaltending crisis has continued over the last several seasons, with the team searching for consistency between the pipes. After cycling through multiple goalies, Devon Levi has emerged as a potential solution in his first season with Edmonton. With seven games played and six wins, the 24-year-old has given the Oilers hope of finding the stability they need to return to Stanley Cup contention. However, Levi's recent undisclosed injury raises another question: is Edmonton back to square one?
Devon Levi has 120 games played in the AHL, with a 64-39-17 career record, 10 shutouts, a .914 save percentage, and a 2.52 goals-against average. Before suffering an undisclosed injury, he won his first NHL shootout flawlessly against the reigning Stanley Cup champions, the Carolina Hurricanes. Originally acquired from the Buffalo Sabres to serve as a third-string goalie, he has been the best option for the group since the season started, sitting in the top five in the league in wins.
Oct 22, 2026; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers goaltender Devon Levi (27) makes a save on Carolina Hurricanes defencemen Shayne Gostisbehere (4) during the shoot-out at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
On the other hand, Plan A was always Tristan Jarry taking the starting role since Edmonton traded away Stuart Skinner . After playing 19 games last season with the Oilers and having a 9-6-2 record, newly appointed head coach Mike Babcock gave Jarry the nod for opening night, where he allowed six goals and logged a .739 save percentage. In his most recent outing since Levi's injury announcement, he allowed six goals on 30 shots against the Toronto Maple Leafs on October 24th.
The Oilers still hope that the recently-signed Frederik Andersen will be an improvement, However, he remains unavailable until late November or December after hurting his knee in the Stanley Cup Final last season. In the meantime, the team has called up Matt Tomkins from the AHL's Bakersfield Condors. Is he another temporary fix?
Currently tied for second from the bottom, the Oilers have allowed 43 goals against in 12 games. While maintaining one of the highest-scoring offences in the league with 49 goals, it is clear the Oilers cannot score four-plus goals a game just to tie a game or win.
Tomkins may get a serious look at starting between the pipes after Jarry's multi-goal-allowed performances. While Levi has allowed 22 goals in seven games, Jarry has allowed 18 goals in just five. The emergency call-up goalie is 6'4″ with six NHL games under his belt, sitting at an all-time record of 3-2-1 and a .892 save percentage. His playing time was spent with the Tampa Bay Lightning, where one of his standout games was a win against the Maple Leafs. Tomkins made 34 saves in a 6-4 win, facing 38 shots in total; it is the most he has faced in his NHL career.
Goaltending is not the only issue when it comes to goals allowed; the players in front of the net also play a role. In the 2025–2026 season, Edmonton ranked seventh in goals allowed, giving up the third-most rush scoring chances and fourth-most odd-man rushes per game at five-on-five. This season, the team's save percentage is .872, while the penalty kill is operating at just 68.8 percent. Now, with Mattias Ekholm sidelined and adding to the list of injuries, in the Oilers most recent 4-3 shootout loss to the Detroit Red Wings, Zach Hyman exited the game after being shaken up on a hit from Andreas Englund . Puck and player management will be a main focus while the lineup gets healthy. As of October, the Oilers have allowed 3.5 goals per game, almost the worst in the league at 27th, while scoring 4.3 goals per game, the highest rate in the NHL.
While the current goaltending scenario seems complicated, the group has found itself in these situations over the last several years in different forms. While seeming vulnerable in the crease now, this still surpasses past struggles.
In 2025–2026, before trading for Jarry, Edmonton relied on Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard , which imploded, leading the group to the worst team save percentage in franchise history, at .860, through just the first 25 games. In the same year, Jarry was acquired and continued to struggle across 19 games, with a 3.86 goals-against average.
Before that came the Jack Campbell era. The Oilers signed Campbell to a five-year, $25 million contract with the idea that they had found their starter. In the 2022–2023 season, Stuart Skinner, a rookie at the time, saved the season after a disappointing 3.41 goals-against average and an .888 save percentage from their supposed starting goaltender.
Edmonton entered the season with a plan that always involved multiple goaltenders, hoping for a solid 1A/1B tandem to find consistency and take pressure off the defensive group. While the early numbers and injuries have not encouraged the team as much as fans would like, with it still being early in the season, workload management has high hopes of being addressed.
The team's biggest strength remains its ability to score goals. McDavid and Leon Draisaitl can continue driving the offence. The team is naturally strong at turning games around and redirecting pressure. If they can work towards having their goaltenders make timely saves and show up in close games, the blame may not fall entirely on the man between the pipes, but also on the defensive play in front of them.
The next question will come soon enough: if alarm bells have to ring, is it too early to make a goaltending change?
Also Read:
Connor McDavid: Point Projections for 2026-27
Leon Draisaitl: Point Projections for 2026-27
Main Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
