It’s early days, but Edmonton Oilers general manager Stan Bowman may have rolled the dice in net, thus delivering two quality newcomers and a new predicament.

Bowman added Connor Ingram and Tristan Jarry in two separate deals this fall. Ingram came free from the Utah Mammoth, while Jarry required a more substantial payment. On the day Jarry was acquired, the Oilers’ record (14-11-6) gave the team a .548 points percentage. Since then, the team’s record is 6-3-0 (.667 points percentage). Edmonton’s save percentage at five-on-five was .884 and is .929 since the Jarry trade.

What must Bowman do now? Divide three goalies into two roster positions.

Who’s best? 

Since trading Stuart Skinner, Edmonton has received excellent goaltending, no matter who’s in net. I prefer five-on-five save percentage in evaluating goalies, as it’s a level playing field and is the largest game state. Here’s a look at five-on-five save percentages in the nine games.

Player

Minutes

Save Pct

Calvin Pickard

159

0.934

Connor Ingram

138

0.915

Tristan Jarry

129

0.904

All numbers five-on-five, via Natural Stat Trick

The samples are small, and regression could come as soon as the game against the Boston Bruins on Wednesday night. That said, all three look good, and that’s a great sign. Evaluating goaltenders should be reserved for a select few, but to the layman’s eyes, Ingram has been quality. He displays calm feet, moves well laterally and has delivered great results in a small sample.

Calvin Pickard was struggling before the trade, and there were waiver whispers. He delivered a splendid performance against the Winnipeg Jets on Monday night and now boasts a spectacular save percentage in recent games. Competition is a good thing, and Pickard has responded handsomely. One of the most popular members of the team based on multiple anecdotes, Pickard seems less vulnerable now.

Jarry should be ready to return from injury sometime in January. He has a strong save percentage at five-on-five and won all three games he’s played for Edmonton. Like Ingram, Jarry looks cool under fire in Oilers silks.

Three goaltenders, all bona fide, on the same roster. Can this work?

The worries

If we are to make the case for keeping all three goaltenders on the roster, there’s a mountain of prevailing wisdom to overcome. There are enough examples of a three-goalie system in the past to suggest the situation becomes untenable shortly after implementation.

The most famous example is probably Wayne Thomas and his experience while a member of the Montreal Canadiens. In his second NHL season (1973-74), Thomas emerged as the top option for coach Scotty Bowman. Montreal found itself without its starter. Ken Dryden walked away from the club when contract negotiations with general manager Sam Pollock didn’t progress. Thomas became the No. 1 goalie, with two backups (Michel Larocque and Michel Plasse) also on the roster.

Dryden returned the following season, with Thomas and Larocque as the backups. Larocque would play 27 games behind Dryden in 1974-75, but Thomas didn’t get into a game. He was justifiably upset, but years later detailed how he came to grips with the difficult situation.

The Oilers’ current predicament is more chaotic, as the club has, in fact, employed four goalies this year. It’s already midseason (the Boston game is No. 41, the official halfway point), but the three-man situation isn’t yet one month old.

Three goalies?

The reason management might consider running all three in a rotation:

• Jarry has injury issues, and his playoff past isn’t as impressive as his regular-season work for the Pittsburgh Penguins over the past decade.
• Pickard has shown the ability to step in during the playoffs and carry the team for a short time, but has been unable to stay in the lineup over a long playoff season.
• Ingram isn’t far removed from a fresh start to his career that involved time away from the game and a fairly recent build back to playing shape that began in the AHL this fall.

The depth chart when everyone is healthy should be Jarry, Ingram and Pickard. Jarry is the only one under contract for next year, while Ingram is younger than Pickard and has a more recent resume as an NHL starter. It doesn’t mean Bowman is eager to move along Pickard, a popular member of the team who has helped Edmonton reach the final in each of the past two seasons. It does mean Pickard is potentially vulnerable to waivers or a trade.

What comes next?

Bowman and the coaching staff will want to see what the roster can do when all players are completely healthy. Aside from Jarry, the coach is waiting for the return of defenceman Jake Walman and winger Kasperi Kapanen in the coming weeks. An Andrew Mangiapane trade to make room for all roster players returning from injury appears imminent.

Coach Kris Knoblauch and his staff will deploy the optimal roster once everyone is back, and Bowman will evaluate from there. An addition on the wing (ideally Alex Tuch) is the primary need at this time, but injuries and performance between now and the deadline will dictate the team’s movements in the next several weeks.

Trading one of the three goalies would have some appeal, but the return would likely come in the way of draft picks or prospects not close to the NHL at this time. If Bowman could find a useful right-handed centre in a deal, it would make sense. Beyond a specific roster need being addressed, dealing for future assets in a year when the Stanley Cup is the stated goal should be a non-starter.

How will this play out? 

Follow the money. Jarry’s cap hit is $5.375 million on a contract that expires in the summer of 2028. He looked good in his three appearances and will get the net when he’s ready to play again.

Ingram and Pickard are free agents after the season. Ingram is five years younger and more likely to win another contract from an NHL team. Pickard, at 33, struggled early and could be playing his final season for Edmonton in 2025-26.

The past informs the future. The most likely playoff tandem is Jarry and Ingram, despite their fairly recent arrival in Edmonton. In a way, Bowman made a move similar to the Colorado Avalanche of one year ago. Avalanche GM Chris McFarland acquired goalies Scott Wedgewood and Mackenzie Blackwood within 10 days of each other in the fall of 2024, effectively turning over the entire position in a heartbeat.

Colorado had success, and early signs have Edmonton heading in a similar direction. The three-goalie system has a long history of creating tension and driving players to distraction.

However, for an Oilers team that has been fretting over goaltenders since trading Cam Talbot in February 2019, keeping all three men in case something goes wrong may finally give the position some certainty.