EDMONTON — Things we (think we) know. Series V, Volume II.
In all our years of work, we have never seen a three-goalie system that anyone on a hockey team liked.
Coaches, goalies, skaters, coaching and equipment staff… Everyone is happier when there are two goalies on a hockey team – in practice, in games, on the plane and in meetings.
“We can give (Andersen) enough rest,” Bowman told Reed Wilkins on Edmonton Sports Talk. “Because next year we will have a three-goalie system.”
Things we (think we) know
This is the stupidest thing about goalies of the 2020s:
We’ve all come to the understanding that (at least) two goalies should roughly split the NHL regular season. Where it was once 57-25, it’s now closer to 48-36 in the new 84-game regular season.
Last season, only 18 goalies started 50 or more games. Ten of these teams missed the playoffs, and six others lost in the first round.
Thus, coaches have learned to favor two goalies throughout the year. Then the playoffs begin, and the same coaches push one goalie until he’s eliminated before moving on to the next guy. Like Rod Brind’Amour did with Andersen and Brandon Bussey or John Tortorella and Carter Hart.
As for the three-goalkeeper system, it is also developing.
“I think this will become more common in the coming years,” Bowman said. “Buffalo and Carolina … they both had great success (last season). Of course, that was rare in the past. But based on the schedule, in the modern game, goalies just don’t play 60-70 games a year.”
You need the right characters to play with three goalkeepers. Edmonton has the oft-injured veteran Andersen, who is fine with 30 starts, the kid Devon Levy, who would likely be happy to stay in the NHL all season, and a 31-year-old who has something to prove in Jarry. Levy and Jarry will fight for their share of 54 starts, with Andersen guaranteed his 30 – or wherever that number falls.
“I played 66 games in a row (for Toronto, 2016-18) a couple of years in a row. I think those days are probably over for me,” Andersen said during a Zoom call from Denmark on Monday. “I’m definitely excited to be part of a good goalie rotation. It’s a new thing in the NHL. You have to stay fresh and really get the best out of each other that way.”
Who will be number 1? We all know what Andersen they’ll want to see online at the end of April.
“I don’t think there’s much benefit to having one guy number one in July or even November,” Bowman said. “You have to win games and we will figure out who can help you win those games.”
Edmonton has three goalies and eight NHL defensemen, but is a little weaker offensively. The Oilers could very well use a right-sided center back or a top-six forward who could do what Jack Roslovic (21 goals) did last season in Edmonton.
But Bowman currently has just over $5.9 million in net worth. This will equate to $26.55 million in AAV at the end of the deal.
The UFA summer market is captured. And even if you could find a guy who could replicate Rolovich’s performance before the playoffs, he couldn’t match the speed that Rolovich showed. Patrick Kane, Vladimir Tarasenko, Anthony Mantha… They are not fast, have too many miles or require too much salary.
Things we (think we) know
Edmonton acquired Roslovic on Oct. 8 of last season after the UFA market spat him out without a contract. They gave him a one-year deal worth $1.5 million, and he scored 21 goals and 36 points before predictably faltering in the playoffs, where his PPG is 0.35.
Our bet is that Bowman will be here again this season, relatively happy with his roster but willing to lure a player at a similar position who is willing to sign a one-year deal, with a chance to do what Roslovic did: earn himself a two-year, $8 million deal with Toronto this summer.
But with nearly $6 million in cap space, a new head coach who will demand players’ attention, and a team very focused on the regular season after essentially sitting out last season, if Bowman has enough roster to get the Oilers safely to the deadline, why would you spend more money now?
By the March 2026 deadline, if you had $5.9 million in cap space, you could afford Nazem Kadri and Mackenzie Weegar. Or Braden Schenn and John Carlson. Or three guys with $3 million in earnings: Nicholas Roy, Scott Laughton and Tyler Myers.
Obviously, you need trading capital to match your capitalization. Edmonton has all but the second round picks in both 2028 and ’29, as well as several top prospects.
Every other contender is cash-strapped or about to be, and we all know players become available at the deadline that will never be available now.
On deadline, space is critical. Right now, Bowman should be shining his crown.