The Edmonton Oilers got bounced in the first round of the 2026 playoffs. That stung more than usual after back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances. Their problem wasn’t hard to figure out — goaltending was a mess all year. Four different guys played. None of them were any good. So the front office went to work.
The offseason started with Mike Babcock getting the head coaching job, which was its own kind of headline. But the real action came on the roster side. Before free agency even opened, the Oilers locked up defenseman Connor Murphy and forward Jason Dickinson, both to five-year deals. Murphy is a legit penalty-killing defenseman, and $4.1 million per year for that is solid value. Dickinson didn’t do much in 17 regular season games after coming over in a trade, but he scored two goals and added an assist in four playoff games. Those are the kind of moves that don’t grab headlines but matter in April.
Then came the move that made everything else possible. The Oilers shipped Darnell Nurse and his $9.25 million cap hit — with four years left — to San Jose. That’s a lot of money to move, and they didn’t take a bad contract back. What they got was Shakir Mukhamadullin, a 6-foot-4 defenseman with some upside, and a clean cap sheet. That gave them room to sign Ryan Shea, who put up six goals and 29 assists for Pittsburgh last season, for $4 million a year over five seasons. Shea is 29 and his game is getting compared to a younger Brett Kulak. It’s a smart bet.
Kasperi Kapanen also came back on a one-year, $2.6 million deal. He only played 41 regular season games but had eight goals and nine assists. Then in the playoffs, he scored four goals and added two assists. For that price, he’s worth keeping around.
But the goaltending part is where the Oilers really made noise. Trading for Devon Levi from Buffalo was the first step. He’s young, doesn’t have much NHL experience, but he’s been strong in the AHL. Last season with Rochester he went 23-20-9 with a .904 save percentage and 2.83 goals-against average. That was actually a step back from the year before, when he had a .919 save percentage and 2.20 GAA. He’s not a proven starter, but he could push for the backup job.
The big signing was Frederik Andersen. The Oilers brought in a guy who has actually done it in the playoffs. In Carolina, he posted goals-against averages under 3.00 in four of five seasons and save percentages above .901 in three of them. This past postseason, before an injury ended his run, Andersen went 13-2 with a 1.89 GAA, .910 save percentage, and three shutouts. That’s the kind of goaltending the Oilers have been chasing ever since they traded Stuart Skinner to bring in Tristan Jarry. Jarry is still on the roster, but he was bad last season — 3.86 GAA and .858 save percentage — and he’s not the answer.
The Oilers have been searching for a reliable playoff goalie since the late ’80s, basically. Andersen gives them a real shot at that. If he stays healthy, Edmonton’s goaltending goes from a liability to a strength. That alone makes their free agency a win.
Leave a Comment