The Edmonton Oilers have a goaltending problem. Of course, that's not a new take but last season saw some real low between the pipes in Oil Country. Edmonton was a revolving door of uncertainty with Stuart Skinner shipped out, Calvin Pickard shuttled to the AHL, Tristan Jarry being the absolute bust and Connor Ingram trying to fill the gaps.
By the time the playoffs came around, Edmonton was running a tandem that inspired very little confidence and the results were about as ugly as one'd expect. First-round elimination at the hands of the Anaheim Ducks. The Oilers allowed 23 goals in six games and went home early.
So yes, the situation between the pipes needs addressing this offseason. That part is settled. What isn't settled is how and it's in that vacuum of uncertainty that fan discourse has started getting very, very creative. Among the many names being floated in fan discourse as the answer to Edmonton's goaltending woes, one has caught our eye for being genuinely, fascinatingly absurd. It is none other than Jake Oettinger, franchise goalie of the Dallas Stars.
Now, Oettinger is without any real debate, Dallas's guy. He's 27, locked up through 2032-33 on an eight-year deal worth $8.25 million a season. The idea of him landing in Edmonton this summer seems far-fetched on its face. But Dallas does have one legitimate financial problem brewing, centred on Jason Robertson's next contract. And crucially, Oettinger's no-move clause hasn't kicked in yet meaning this summer is the last window in which the Stars could realistically move him if they decided to.
That narrow timeline is what's kept the conversation alive. So, is it actually worth having? Let's see for ourselves.
Jake Oettinger wants to win
Over the last few seasons Jake Oettinger has put up genuinely elite regular season numbers, hit the 30-win mark four years in a row and led Dallas to three straight Western Conference Finals appearances.
He was good enough that Dallas locked him up in October 2024 with an eight-year extension worth $8.25 million per season, the fifth-highest cap hit among active goalies when he signed it. That deal runs through 2032-33. In short, the Stars believed they had their guy for the next decade, and on paper, it was hard to argue.
Now how did 2025-26 go? Solidly good, but not spectacular. Oettinger finished the regular season 35-12-6 with a 2.59 goals-against average. Dallas finished with the third-best record in the NHL, so things looked fine from the outside. He didn't win the Vezina Trophy and wasn't a finalist. He also played second fiddle to Connor Hellebuyck at the 2026 Winter Olympics when Team USA won gold for the first time since 1980, a massive moment Oettinger watched from the bench.
Then in the playoffs Dallas faced the Minnesota Wild in the first round and got bounced in six games.
Game 1 saw Oettinger allow five goals on 28 shots in a 6-1 blowout. He steadied somewhat after that, but the Wild's rookie goalie Jesper Wallstedt (another name that haunts Oil Country) was simply better throughout the series.
Wallstedt posted a 2.05 GAA and .924 save percentage over those six games. Oettinger went 2-4 with a 2.83 GAA and .893 save percentage for the series. Minnesota outscored Dallas 12-6 in the final three games.
When it was over, Oettinger gave one of the more honest post-elimination quotes of his career: "I don't feel like I accomplished any of my goals. I want to win a Stanley Cup, I want to win the Vezina Trophy, and I want to be a starting goalie for Team USA at the Olympics, and none of those three things happened."
Oettinger's playoff highs and lows
Oilers fans should understand about the Oettinger conversation that his playoff inconsistency isn't new. Back in 2022, he was absolutely lights-out in Game 7 of the first round against Calgary with 64 saves in a loss that became the stuff of legend. He's sure capable of brilliance. But in several subsequent playoff runs, he's been the question mark when Dallas needed an answer.
In 2025, the Stars' then-coach Pete DeBoer famously pulled him mid-game in the Western Conference Final against Edmonton. DeBoer was fired a week later, with Stars GM Jim Nill acknowledging that the Oettinger situation was "a component" of the decision.
This season, new coach Glen Gulutzan openly left the door open for backup Casey DeSmith after Game 1. DeSmith, for what it's worth, had a better season statistically than Oettinger with a 2.34 GAA and .910 save percentage in 29 starts.
Why the Oettinger discourse
So the Oilers have real, obvious, urgent goaltending needs this offseason. McDavid and Draisaitl aren't going to be this good forever. The window is open right now and everyone in the organization knows it. Tristan Jarry is far from the No. 1 in Edmonton and Connor Ingram's future is now hanging in the balance.
But even with all this pressure, does the Oettinger-to-Edmonton talk make much sense? The plain answer is a no and this is mostly speculation, and there are some massive reasons why it's unlikely.
The contract alone is a mountain. Oettinger is owed $8.25 million per year through 2032-33. Edmonton has projected cap space of around $16.5 million heading into next summer which sounds like a lot until you remember they still need to address a forward corps, blue line and depth.
Taking on $8.25 million in cap for a goalie is a huge commitment. The Stars sure have their own cap issues heading into 2026-27 with restricted free agents like Jason Robertson needing new deals. But Oettinger is their franchise goalie under contract for eight more years. The only scenario where Dallas considers it is if they're convinced they need to free up cap space for other priorities and even then, they'd be starting over in goal.
The playoff thing cuts both ways. If you're the Oilers, do you want to spend big on a goalie whose playoff track record is "really good sometimes, really not good other times"? Edmonton's whole problem has been inconsistent goaltending in big moments.
There are other options. Names like Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Jesper Wallstedt have been floated for Edmonton (since forever). Luukkonen is younger and has shown some real promise. The Oilers' own prospect Connor Ungar posted a .923 save percentage in Bakersfield. There are paths that maybe don't require a blockbuster (who am I kidding?) but for once we really want things upgraded between the pipes.
What does the picture look like for Edmonton
Every serious Oilers observer knows the goaltending situation has been the defining failure of the McDavid era. Eleven years in, they've cycled through Cam Talbot, Mikko Koskinen, Jack Campbell, Mike Smith, Stuart Skinner, Calvin Pickard, Tristan Jarry and Connor Ingram. Some were decent, none were elite.
The window with McDavid isn't closing yet (he just won his sixth straight Art Ross Trophy, right?) but it's not unlimited either. NHL insider David Pagnotta put it plainly last month, "This summer is as important as ever with respect to the longevity of McDavid's future in Edmonton." The Oilers need to be aggressive. But that doesn't necessarily really mean "Oettinger."
Jake Oettinger is a legitimate top-end NHL goalie. His regular season numbers are real and his contract is massive.
And the discourse around him in Edmonton mostly says more about how desperate the Oilers situation is. Could it happen? Sure. Wild things happen in the NHL. But if you're Stan Bowman this summer, you're probably looking at younger, cheaper and more controllable options before you go down that road to wrestle Dallas.
The Oettinger discourse is understandable. But in our view, it just might be solving the wrong problem in the most expensive possible way.
Foresight On Whyte is Oil on Whyte's very own offseason series exploring where the Oilers go from here.
