Oilers Should Target Frederik Andersen as an Inexpensive Free-Agent Goalie Option

The Edmonton Oilers search for a goalie continues. It’s been a constant throughout the career of Connor McDavid, and hasn’t changed as he prepares for what will be his 12th NHL season. There has never been a more crucial time for the organization to find a quality netminder than now.

What we do know is that barring a surprise, Tristan Jarry will be one of the two goalies on the Oilers roster next season. Despite his massive struggles in 2025-26, his $5.375 million cap hit is seemingly going to force the Oilers hand in hopes of bouncing back. What we don’t yet know is who will serve as the other half of the tandem.

There have been plenty of names linked to the Oilers. Detroit Red Wings prospect Sebastian Cossa continues to be discussed, as has Filip Gustavsson of the Minnesota Wild. Some have even mentioned Sergei Bobrovsky, who is a pending unrestricted free agent (UFA).

Another pending UFA, and one who seemingly lines up better for the Oilers, is Frederik Andersen. Barring a late extension with the Carolina Hurricanes, the Stanley Cup champion will hit the free-agent pool this offseason. Despite his strong performance for the ‘Canes throughout the vast majority of their playoff run, his market value may not be as high as you’d think.

Andersen Shouldn’t Cost a Lot

Though Andersen wound up being replaced by Brandon Bussi in the Stanley Cup Final, he did most of the heavy lifting in the crease, starting 16 of the Hurricanes’ 19 games. He was incredible during that stretch, going 13-2-0 with a 1.89 goals against average (GAA) along with a .910 save percentage (SV%). Numbers like that, especially in the playoffs, would seemingly have him in line for a big payday. Unfortunately, that may not be the case.

Working against Andersen is the fact that he’s 36 years old. His age rules out a long-term deal, though it isn’t the only thing hurting him when it comes to being paid. There’s also the fact that in 35 regular season games, he had a horrendous 3.05 GAA and a .874 SV%. His struggles had many surprised that he was even given the net to begin the playoffs.

The biggest thing that will keep Andersen’s contract relatively inexpensive is his health. While he has always had the talent to be a true number-one goalie, he’s made more than 60 appearances in a single season just three times in his career, with the latest coming back in 2018-19 with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Since then, he’s appeared in more than 50 just twice, with the latest being in 2021-22.

Throughout the vast majority of his career, and especially over the last five seasons, Andersen’s body simply hasn’t allowed him to handle a heavy workload throughout the season. He’s instead better in a tandem role as it allows his body to stay rested.

Due to his health, he is viewed as a very good tandem goalie, which will scare teams away from giving him significant money. In fact, there are some projections suggesting he’ll sign a deal worth roughly $3 million per season. That would work out perfectly for an Oilers team who doesn’t have much money to spend otherwise.

Andersen Proved He Can Step Up in Playoffs

Though having to use Jarry in a tandem role is concerning to some, there’s reason to believe he can give the Oilers good enough goaltending in his starts to have them in an OK spot. As bad as he was in his first season in Edmonton, he still put together a 9-6-2 record. Assuming he’s able to improve on his .858 SV%, the wins should come even more often.

As was the case with the ‘Canes, once the playoffs begin, that’s when you would give the net to Andersen. He was able to give his team quality start after quality start throughout the playoffs. Having his regular season minutes allowed for that, and should have caught the eye of Oilers management. While it’s far from the ideal target, he’s a realistic one, and would be an improvement over both Stuart Skinner and Connor Ingram.