Edmonton Oilers Sign 31-Year-Old Team Canada Goaltender to Two-Year Contract

The Edmonton Oilers and Stan Bowman announced Tuesday night that they have signed goaltender Matt Tomkins to a two-year, two-way contract with an average annual value of $775,000.

Tomkins (6'4", 191 lbs.) dressed in 26 games for the AHL's Syracuse Crunch last season, finishing with a 12-10-5 record with a 2.55 GAA, .907 SV%, and three shutouts.

Originally a seventh-round selection of the Chicago Blackhawks in 2012 (199th overall), the 31-year-old Edmonton native has seen action in 91 AHL games over six seasons with Rockford and Syracuse.

During that time, he has compiled a career record of 38-42-11, including a 2.86 GAA, .901 SV%, and four shutouts.

Tomkins made six NHL appearances in the 2023-24 season with the Tampa Bay Lightning (3-2-1, 3.33 GAA, .892 SV%).

He also represented Team Canada at the 2022 Olympics, making three appearances (2-1-0, 1.01 GAA, .963 SV%, one shutout). Unfortunately, Canada was unable to win a medal at those Olympics, but Tomkins was extremely solid for them.

Tomkins will likely now serve as an AHL replacement for Olivier Rodrigue, whom the team elected not to give a qualifying offer to this week, ultimately ending his time with Edmonton.

Tomkins had an opportunity to win the backup role in Tampa for 2024-25, but ultimately spent the year sharing the crease with the AHL's Syracuse Crunch with Brandon Halverson and Ryan Fanti.