Ex-Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner off to a hot start with new team
Did the Edmonton Oilers give up on Stuart Skinner too early?
It’s hard to argue that Skinner didn’t get a long rope during his time in the Alberta capital. He broke onto the scene during the 2022-23 season and got three full seasons acting as the Oilers’ starting goalie. During that time, he also played large sections of three long playoff runs, including two Stanley Cup Final appearances.
And just about the whole stretch was plagued with inconsistency. Skinner would routinely lose the net in the playoffs to backup Calvin Pickard, and was as streaky as could be during the regular season. Outside of his rookie season, Skinner never really found solid ground during his Oilers tenure.
A slow start to the last year was the last straw for GM Stan Bowman, who traded him to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Tristan Jarry. Skinner would then go on to sign with the Winnipeg Jets in free agency this past summer, and he’s looking good through his first few games in Manitoba.
Through three games, Skinner has a 2-0-1 record and a .920 save percentage, which is among the best in the league so far.
"WHAT A DANDY BY STUART SKINNER!"
Completely agree @JohnForslund 🙂↕️ pic.twitter.com/Felr8WqOVN
— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) October 8, 2026
Skinner stood on his head during Winnipeg’s 3-2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche, where he stopped 32 of the 34 shots he faced. He was named first star after the game and received quite an ovation from Jets fans.
It’s quite a situation for the Edmonton native, as he has basically become the heir apparent to Connor Hellebuyck, who has refused to report to the team amid a trade request. When asked about the pressure of replacing such a big talent, Skinner kept his usual cool.
“They are big shoes to fill, 100 per cent,” Skinner admitted. “But I’m not looking into the scenario of filling [Hellebuyck’s] shoes. My job is the same job as any other goalie in this league.”
FIRST STAR STUART SKINNER 🌟 pic.twitter.com/8iJ4jczHjY
— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) October 8, 2026
The Oilers have had an interesting start to the season in terms of goaltending. The first two games saw Jarry and Devon Levi let in a combined 13 goals. Since then, however, Levi has put up two stellar performances.
It isn’t a stretch to say that Skinner, however, has been much better than Jarry since that trade last December.