Edmonton Oilers goaltender Olivier Rodrigue has made a surprising move by choosing to step away from the NHL and sign with Barys Astana in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), according to insider Jesse Courville‑Lynch.
As of the June 30 deadline, the Oilers did not extend qualifying offers to Rodrigue (along with forwards Cameron Wright and Jacob Perreault), rendering all three unrestricted free agents eligible to negotiate with any NHL or AHL team . Rodrigue, Edmonton’s 62nd overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, spent the last three seasons in the AHL with the Bakersfield Condors .
Rodrigue finally made his NHL debut during the 2024–25 season with the Oilers, appearing in two games as a potential third-choice goaltender. However, his standing in the organization was weakened by a difficult AHL season, arbitration concerns, and increasing competition from emerging prospects Nathaniel Day and Eemil Jonsson—all of which limited his path forward in Edmonton’s system .
Now signing with Barys Astana in the KHL, Rodrigue is embarking on a new professional chapter. Though this seems to mark the end of his current NHL journey, many fans and analysts wish him success overseas—and ponder whether he might return to North America in the future
