Edmonton Oilers

Oilers’ New Goalie Was Initially Expected to Join Their Rival

Before signing with Edmonton, some believed Frederik Andersen was destined to join their Stanley Cup Final rivals.

by
Jackson Weber
July 12, 2026

For the first time in a long time, there is actually excitement surrounding the state of the Edmonton Oilers’ goaltending.

A potential three-goalie setup featuring two new faces in Frederik Andersen and Devon Levi, along with a still relatively new face in Tristan Jarry, has given Edmonton hope that the position is finally in a good place.

Andersen, who many already feel is the best goalie the Oilers have had in the Connor McDavid era, is at the forefront of that optimism. However, according to Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman, landing him wasn’t always a sure thing. Before the Florida Panthers traded for Jacob Markstrom, there was a strong belief that Andersen was headed to Edmonton’s bitter Stanley Cup rivals instead.

Friedman said:

“Someone actually said to me that they thought that Freddy Andersen was gonna be in Florida, and then all of a sudden they traded for Markstrom, and that flipped everything on its ear. Like there was a guy who bet me that Andersen was going to be in Florida, and I am glad to collect on that bet,”

The 36-year-old Andersen signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the Oilers on July 1 that includes up to $1.8 million in performance bonuses. He went 16-14-5 with a 3.05 goals-against average and a .874 save percentage in 35 regular-season starts before putting together a sparkling 13-2 playoff run, posting a 1.89 goals-against average, a .910 save percentage, and three shutouts en route to winning the Stanley Cup.

Frederik Andersen Oilers starter — Frederik Andersen Oilers

While Andersen may not be in his prime anymore, he proved this past postseason that he can still provide elite goaltending, especially when it matters most.

Given his age and injury history, having Jarry and Levi alongside should be extremely beneficial in helping manage his workload, in turn keeping him fresh for what they hope will be another deep playoff run.

You can understand why Edmonton is thrilled to have landed Andersen, and they should also be thankful Florida traded for Markstrom because otherwise, who knows where the Oilers would have turned?

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