Babcock, New Goalies and Big Questions: Oilers 2026-27 Preview

The Oilers finished 41-30-11 and were bounced in the first round by Anaheim, a result that forced a real reckoning. Edmonton fired Kris Knoblauch, traded Darnell Nurse, and brought in Mike Babcock to push Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl back to the Stanley Cup Final. The ambition is clear. The execution still has too many moving parts to earn a higher mark.

Last season in review

The offence was never the problem. McDavid posted 138 points, Draisaitl 97 despite missing 17 games, and Evan Bouchard set a career high with 95. The Oilers scored 282 goals, a respectable total. The trouble was at the other end: a rate of 3.23 goals allowed per game that ranked 25th in the NHL. Goaltending was a disaster from start to finish. Stuart Skinner posted an .888 save percentage before the Oilers traded him and Brett Kulak to Pittsburgh for Tristan Jarry in December. Jarry was worse, putting up an .858 save percentage across 19 appearances and losing the crease to backup Connor Ingram by the playoffs. No Edmonton netminder cleared .900 on the season. That is not a goaltending problem; it is a goaltending crisis.

Ins and outs

• In: Mike Babcock (hired as head coach, June 23)
• In: D.J. Smith (associate coach, June 23)
• In: Shakir Mukhamadullin (acquired from San Jose in Darnell Nurse trade, July 1)
• In: Frederik Andersen (signed one-year contract as UFA, July 1)
• In: Devon Levi (acquired in trade from Buffalo, July 1)
• In: Ryan Shea (signed as UFA, July 1)
• In: Mathieu Joseph (signed as UFA)
• In: Alex Formenton (signed one-year contract, September 9)
• In: Misha Donskov (added as coaching consultant, September 3)
• In: Shakir Mukhamadullin and Spencer Stastney (extensions signed, July 5)
• Out: Darnell Nurse (traded to San Jose, July 1)
• Out: Stuart Skinner (traded to Pittsburgh mid-season, December 2025)
• Out: Connor Ingram (retired, September 14)
• Out: Calvin Pickard (UFA)
• Out: Jack Roslovic (to Toronto)
• Out: Adam Henrique (UFA)
• Out: Curtis Lazar (signed with Lausanne, September 17)

The big question

Can the goaltending hold up long enough for Andersen to return? He sustained an undisclosed injury during off-season training and will not be at camp, leaving Tristan Jarry and Devon Levi to carry the crease from opening night. Jarry was one of the worst starters in the league after arriving in Edmonton last December, and Levi has just 39 games of NHL experience. If Andersen is out for weeks rather than days, the Oilers could be digging out of a hole before Babcock has even found his footing.

X-factor

Devon Levi. The 24-year-old was once a highly regarded prospect, and this is a genuine opportunity to prove he belongs at this level. If Levi can stabilize the crease while Andersen recovers and push Jarry for starts, Edmonton's ceiling rises considerably. If he struggles, the Oilers are back to the same conversation they have been having for three years.

Bold prediction

Edmonton wins the Pacific Division. McDavid and Draisaitl are still the best one-two punch in hockey, Bouchard is coming off a 95-point season, and the Pacific is not as deep as it looks on paper. A healthy Andersen in the second half is the difference.

The outlook

The Oilers open the 2026-27 regular season September 29 at Rogers Place against Vancouver, and Babcock will be behind an NHL bench for the first time since 2019. The pieces are mostly in place. The margin for error, with a shaky crease and a coaching hire that already drew criticism from Mark Messier, is thin.