What Do the Oilers Do Now With Tristan Jarry?
If you’re sitting around wondering what exactly the Edmonton Oilers are going to do with Tristan Jarry this summer, you’re not alone. It’s one of those situations where everyone can see the problem. The only question is how painful the solution will be. Because right now, this hasn’t worked.
The Oilers moved too much for Jarry.
The big move that brought Jarry to Edmonton was supposed to stabilize things. Instead, it’s done the opposite. The Oilers sent out Stuart Skinner, Brett Kulak, and a 2028 second-round pick to Pittsburgh in exchange for Jarry and Sam Poulin. They were counting on an upgrade in goal. What they got was a more expensive version of the same uncertainty—maybe even worse.
And that analysis is being polite. Since arriving in Edmonton, Jarry has really struggled to find his footing. We’re talking a 3.86 goals-against average and an .858 save percentage over 19 games. That’s a goaltender who hasn’t been able to give the team even league-average stability. And when you’re trying to win in a pressure cooker market like Edmonton, that becomes impossible to ignore.
It didn't take long for the Oilers to pull Jarry out of the crease.
Eventually, the Oilers even had to make the uncomfortable switch, with Jarry losing the starter’s job to Connor Ingram. So now you’ve got a $5.375 million goalie under contract for two more years, sitting in a backup role that nobody really planned for.
That’s not a great place to be. And once a goalie move starts going sideways, it rarely fixes itself in the same place. Confidence is everything in that position. So is structure. So is timing. And right now, none of it is lining up for Jarry in Edmonton.
So what can the Oilers actually do?
The Oilers probably have to explore the market. That’s the uncomfortable answer. The problem is, moving a goalie with that cap hit and that recent performance isn’t easy. If Edmonton wants out, they might have to attach something sweet—maybe a draft pick, maybe a prospect—just to get another team to take the contract and give them a fresh start.
It’s the classic NHL reality: mistakes don’t just disappear; they get repackaged. The Oilers also can’t afford to just “run it back” and hope for better. Not with this roster. Not with this small Connor McDavid window soon closing. At some point, you either fix the goaltending or the rest of the team just keeps spinning its wheels.
The Jarry fix is easy, but it will hurt the team’s flexibility.
So the Jarry question isn’t really complicated anymore.
It’s whether Edmonton is willing to pay again—this time just to undo a move that never really worked in the first place.