Edmonton certainly isn’t the easiest market to play in, especially for a goalie, but Stuart Skinner has done just fine in his tenure so far as a member of the Oilers. He has been the main starter for three seasons and has been in net for back-to-back runs to the Stanley Cup Final. Despite any criticism he faces and how many doubters he has, there is plenty of reason to believe the 2025-26 season will be his best one yet.
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Skinner’s time in Edmonton hasn’t exactly been all highlights, but he has played some clutch hockey and won some big games for the team. This upcoming season is an important one for him, as he hopes to once and for all prove his worth as a number one starter in the NHL. Despite the mounting pressure on him each year, let’s look at four reasons why this will be Skinner’s best season of his career so far.
Skinner Is Looking Different
It may be something we hear every year from different players across the major sports, but nonetheless, it is always encouraging to go into a new season with new hopes. Rumour has it that Skinner returned to skate with the team looking much thinner and quicker, and it was noticed by multiple people around the Oilers. Skinner seems to be looking good and feeling good to start off camp, a promising sign in Edmonton.
For a guy who oftentimes has noticeably struggled with his speed and lateral movement in the crease, this is important. Improved agility and crease movement from Skinner could go a long way towards a leap this coming season. It’s clear he wants to work on little parts of his game, and that is a great sign.
Confidence Is Renewed
Along with Skinner’s new look and confidence in how he feels, he is also feeling good about what he can accomplish this season. In a recent interview during his first meeting with the media after summer break, he talked about how he is ready to take the next step and learn from his past mistakes once and for all. He wants to achieve two of hockey’s greatest achievements in the next year.
"I wanna go to the Olympics… I wanna be able to get back to the Stanley Cup [Final] and finish the job this year."
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) September 4, 2025
Stuart Skinner shares his goals for the upcoming season. pic.twitter.com/flIkkqYxX9
This kind of confidence for Skinner is a good sign. It’s maybe something he hasn’t always gone into the season and played with, and with this optimism, he can hopefully instill some faith into the fans and his teammates as well. It’s easy for him to get down with all the pressure on him on a contending team in a tough market, so this is good to see.
Strong Defence in Front of Skinner
Something that pairs perfectly with a confident goaltender is a defensive corps that looks the best it has in a long time. I believe this season’s defensive front will be the strongest it has been to start a season in the Stuart Skinner era. They have a lot of established skill, such as Evan Bouchard, Mattias Ekholm, and Jake Walman leading the way, as well as plenty of depth options to round out the backend. This will make Skinner’s life much easier.
Looking at his past few seasons, a skilled blue line like this should do wonders for Skinner’s game. Since taking over the lion’s share of games in the 2022-23 season, he has posted a .905 save percentage (SV%) with a 2.73 goals against average (GAA). Those are impressive numbers for a guy who was thrust into the starting role quite suddenly and behind the d-core that isn’t nearly what it was this past postseason and going into this season, in my opinion.
New Goalie Coach
Something else to look forward to, not only for Skinner but for all other Oilers goalies of the future, is the new hire they made this offseason. The team hired Peter Aubry out of the NCAA to be the new goalie coach for the team. He has lots of experience, both at the NHL level and in collegiate-level hockey. This will hopefully be a good tool for Skinner to have this season, as he has spent his entire career prior to this season with the same goalie coach in Dustin Schwartz. Fresh perspective is never a bad thing, especially for a young goalie.
Yes, Skinner is still young. He is only turning 27 years old this November; around the age many netminders are in their prime or just entering it in the NHL. He has time to learn, grow and be “the guy” for his team. He also has a great veteran backup in Calvin Pickard that is always there to help. A new coach and teammate support could go a long way.
Any misgivings fans may have about Skinner from past seasons should be put aside. Not only does his own confidence matter, but fan support and confidence are huge for a goalie’s success. This new season could be big for the Oilers veteran, maybe even a career-defining one.
