Stuart Skinner might face the most criticism of any goaltender on social media in the entire NHL, and considering how outspoken and sometimes brutal the Edmonton Oilers’ fanbase can be, the backlash he has faced online has to be getting to him. While he has proven to be a competent goaltender in the past, helping the Oilers get to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals, there comes a point where his shortcomings have to be acknowledged.
Related: Insiders Suggest Oilers Open to Trading Stuart Skinner
Skinner, who is 27 years old, has played 16 games this season, winning seven of them and posting one shutout. He has posted a 3.00 goals-against-average (GAA), a .882 save percentage (SV%), and a 0.2 goals-saved-above-expected (GSAX). He has arguably outplayed his tandem partner, Calvin Pickard, but his lack of consistency may cost him a job next season.
Fans are quick to come to Skinner’s defence, citing his performances in the two previous playoff runs as a reason to be lenient with him as a potential future backup with the Oilers. Other fans are quick to mention previous goaltenders who were run out of town, like Devan Dubnyk, who went on to be a solid starter for another team.
The main difference here is that the Oilers don’t have time to wait on Skinner to gain his confidence and settle into a different role or find his game under a new goalie coach. He is expected to be the starting goaltender, he is relied on to save games in tough situations, and he is trusted to make the big saves when required. The leash was short coming into the 2025-26 season, and he has yet to prove he has improved significantly from last season. A trade or demotion should, but may not, come soon.
Unfortunately, the Oilers are in a situation where they need Skinner and Pickard to turn their games around instantly, and there doesn’t seem to be any indication that is going to happen. As of right now, there is no more defending Skinner, and the Oilers need to make a move between the pipes before their playoff hopes slip from underneath them.
Other Issues Exist – Goaltending Needs to Be Addressed
There are a couple of things to keep in mind that are very important when talking about the Oilers’ goaltending. First, the Oilers lack cap space. I know, it has been the “excuse” for a while now, but that makes things tough. There are always cheap options on the market (give me Mikey Dipietro or Nico Daws), but it will be hard to find a team willing to move a goaltender this early in the season, especially to a team that just went to their second straight Stanley Cup Final.
Second, a lateral move may not help the Oilers enough to dig them out of the hole they are in. Pickard had a stellar showing against the Tampa Bay Lightning recently, where the Oilers lost 2-1 in overtime, and the Oilers still got outplayed for the majority of the game. Some fans will disagree, but the reality is, Pickard was the only reason the Oilers got a point at all. In reality, that game showed that a goaltending change isn’t going to fix everything.
Other issues need to be addressed, starting with the lack of offensive production throughout the Oilers’ lineup. Their inability to find the back of the net consistently causes them to lose games. On top of that, their defensive game has been brutal. Darnell Nurse has had a strong couple of games, but he, Brett Kulak, Alec Regula, Mattias Ekholm, Ty Emberson, and Jake Walman have all had their fair share of issues early on this season.
The solution? Desperation. The Oilers need to find a way to get creative and start winning games. They have the depth to win games and make another deep playoff run, but they need to find a way to stabilize their defensive depth, improve their goaltending tandem, and create more scoring. Time is running out for them to figure things out before they go into panic mode and start to sell players off, but they still have time to fix things.
One thing is for sure: the team can’t wait for Skinner any longer. He could be a competent backup, but his days as a starting goaltender should be over, especially if the Oilers want to win their first Stanley Cup since 1990 this season.
There are options out there, and the Oilers should be willing to overpay to improve their team sooner rather than later. If not, they might as well start sending scouts to watch Gavin McKenna and Keaton Verhoeff.
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