"There's thinking going on": Ex-Oilers goaltender Grant Fuhr breaks down Skinner's struggles

Stuart Skinner’s early season struggles for the Edmonton Oilers may be more mental than anything from a technical standpoint.

Skinner, who finished second in Calder Trophy voting a season ago, is going through a major sophomore slump. The 25-year-old netminder has an ugly 1-5-1 record thus far, along with a 3.87 goals against average (GAA) and a .854 save percentage (SV%).

The struggles started back in the playoffs for Skinner, who, after his strong regular season, took a major step backward. While fans had hoped it was nothing more than fatigue, there is some serious doubt increasing amongst many, given how he has started in 2023-24. Ex-Oilers and Hall-of-Fame goaltender Grant Fuhr may have put some at ease, however, after giving his own thoughts on Skinner’s game on The Kevin Karius Show.

“I struggled my second year, and Stuart’s going through a little bit of that right now,” Fuhr explained. “Your second year is always your hardest year because now the expectations go up after you’ve had a good first year, and I think you end up thinking more than just reacting, and you could see a little bit of that. There’s thinking going on instead of just the read and react.”

After a fantastic rookie season in 1981-82 with the Oilers, Fuhr did regress in his second season, as he alluded to, and was even sent to the AHL for a brief period to help get his game back on track. He ultimately rediscovered his game and went on to have an illustrious career. While Skinner will likely never reach the heights of Fuhr, these comments help show why it is far too early to give up on the Oilers young puck-stopper.

With the decision to assign Jack Campbell to the AHL days ago, the Oilers are making a clear statement that they view Skinner as their guy. Though his only start since versus the San Jose Sharks didn’t go as hoped, he will likely be given the call to redeem himself tomorrow night versus the Seattle Kraken.

You might also like:
• Fans shouldn't write off the Edmonton Oilers just yet