Frederik Andersen is leaving the Carolina Hurricanes. The 36-year-old goaltender has agreed to a one-year contract with the Edmonton Oilers, according to a report from Kevin Weekes Wednesday.

Andersen spent parts of four seasons with Carolina, and this year he made 35 appearances for the Hurricanes, going 12 in the win column with an .874 save percentage.

That number is not going to make anyone forget his Stanley Cup run. It is what it is.

Carolina’s crease already looked different by the end of the year anyway. Brandon Bussi logged 39 appearances of his own, posting a .893 save percentage and emerging as the answer in net.

Pyotr Kochetkov also factored in, appearing nine times with a .898 save percentage. The Hurricanes finished 53-22-7 with 113 points, second overall in the league and first in their division.

Edmonton is where things get interesting. With 16-plus wins in 33 games with an .882 save percentage, and Connor Ingram, who had an .898 record over 32 appearances, the Oilers already have Tristan Jarry.

So, what’s the point of bringing on a 36-year-old for a one-year deal?

The Oilers currently have three seasoned goalkeepers vying for a single net.
Here is the true story. With 93 points this season, 41-30-11, Edmonton placed 14th overall, a far cry from Carolina’s potential.

Freddie Andersen is heading to the OILERS on a 1 year deal per @KevinWeekes pic.twitter.com/Czq6dq6vPo

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) July 1, 2026

The Oilers did conclude strongly, winning their final match against Vancouver 6-1. However, GM Stan Bowman’s decision to add Andersen to a crease that already has Ingram and Jarry under contract is unusual.

It is not going to be Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl consuming into the cap sheet, so someone is going to be the odd man out. Their cap hits combined total over $26 million.

This is the type of depth move that looks good on paper in July and becomes a training camp nightmare by September. Three goalies want starts. Only one gets the net on most nights.

Bob’s take: this is a bad fit unless Edmonton already knows something about Jarry or Ingram’s health that has not gone public yet. Otherwise it is a crowded, expensive way to build a crease.

Andersen gets a shot at a contender after leaving a Carolina team that had already started replacing him internally. Whether Edmonton’s goaltending logjam sorts itself out before puck drop on next season is the question nobody in that locker room wants to answer yet.