The Nashville Predators made some serious acquisitions this offseason, and are now labeled as potential Stanley Cup contenders heading into the 2024-25 season. With Jonathan Marchessault, Brett Pesce, and Steven Stamkos all joining a Predators team that has been trending upward for several seasons, they will be one of the toughest teams to beat when it gets into the postseason, and they may be a bigger force to be reckoned with than many fans expect right now. One big reason they may be a sleeper pick to win the Stanley Cup this season is their elite goaltender Juuse Saros, who has easily been the best player on the Predators for the past few seasons, and he was rewarded with a massive extension worth $7.74 million annually.
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With the Predators expected to turn themselves from outsiders to contenders this season, they went out and made the moves they needed to confidently say they’d be able to make a strong run. Another team looking to make a deep run is the Edmonton Oilers, who made it to the Stanley Cup Final last season but lost in seven games to the Florida Panthers. The Oilers were backstopped by goaltender Stuart Skinner, who is just 25 years old and has shown signs of being one of the strongest goaltenders in the NHL. With two years left on his current contract, the Oilers shouldn’t be concerned just yet about re-signing him, but that time will be coming soon.
One thing that surprised a few fans was that Skinner recently changed agents. Sometimes when players change agents, it’s because they want a trade or are prepared to demand big money, so some Oilers fans being concerned is not a surprise. However, there is nothing to worry about right now. Skinner is an Alberta-born goaltender who has made it clear previously that he wants to be an Oiler for life, so switching agents seems to be a simple formality that will benefit him long-term. When the day does come that Skinner begins negotiating an extension though, Saros may be a direct comparable.
Saros & Skinner Have Similar Stats in Recent Seasons
Oilers fans haven’t considered what a Skinner extension will look like since he isn’t an unrestricted free agent (UFA) until after the 2025-26 season. Still, there is someone that they can compare Skinner to since they have had similar stats in recent seasons, and it’s Saros. Last season, Saros played 64 games where he won 35 of them and posted a 2.86 goals-against average (GAA) and a .906 save percentage (SV%). Skinner on the other hand played 59 games, winning 36 of them and posted a 2.62 GAA and a .905 SV%. Their stats in previous seasons have been similar too, but it can be argued Skinner has had a stronger team in front of him leading to slightly better stats.
There does happen to be a bit of an issue with this when it comes to Skinner’s next contract. Saros could be used as a comparable when it comes to what Skinner asks for money-wise. While most Oilers fans would likely predict Skinner gets around $5-5.25 million per season on a long-term extension, it’s clear that Skinner being younger than Saros with more playoff success and a slight edge in overall statistics could be used to Skinner’s advantage during negotiations, driving up his price.
While I would lean toward Skinner being willing to take a pay cut to stay in Edmonton, the number I was thinking originally may have gone up since the Saros extension was announced. Saros’ extension coming in at $7.74 million annually could bring Skinner’s ask up big time. He’s probably worth the same as Saros considering the age and potential, as well as the comparable with playoff success. I don’t think Skinner gets more than Saros, but I wouldn’t be surprised if his new contract comes in around $6-6.75 million annually.
