Frederik Andersen agreed to a one-year deal with the Oilers on Wednesday, a move that gives Edmonton another experienced goaltender as it reshapes the position for the 2025-26 season. The contract carries a $2.8 million average annual value, with $1 million in base salary and $1.8 million in performance bonuses.
The bonuses matter because they make the deal more than a simple one-year flyer. If Andersen reaches the performance markers attached to the contract, he can lift the total value well above the base salary, giving the Oilers a way to limit risk while still paying for upside if he delivers the kind of run he produced in the playoffs. Edmonton also traded for Devon Levi from the Sabres on Wednesday, leaving Andersen, Levi and Tristan Jarry as the three NHL goaltenders on the roster.
Andersen, 36, is entering the 13th season of his career and brings a long record to Edmonton. He has played 552 career games with a.913 save percentage and a 2.59 goals-against average, and his numbers this past season show why the Oilers could see both caution and opportunity in the same signing. He went 16-14-5 in 35 regular-season games, posted a.874 save percentage and carried a 3.05 goals-against average, then turned around in the playoffs with a 13-2 record, a.910 save percentage and a 1.89 GAA.
That split between regular season and playoff form is the story of the deal. Andersen was uneven over the winter, then steadier when the games mattered most, helping Carolina move through Ottawa, Philadelphia and Montreal before starting the first four games of the Stanley Cup Final against Vegas. He was replaced by Brandon Bussi for the final two games, a reminder that the last impression was not a clean one even after the strong run that preceded it.
For Edmonton, the signing answers one question and opens another. The Oilers have added a veteran who has spent three seasons with Anaheim, five with Toronto and five with Carolina, but they have not yet said how the workload will be divided among Andersen, Levi and Jarry. That is the part that will decide whether Wednesday was just roster bookkeeping or the start of a real goaltending plan.
