On Thursday (April 10), Jason Gregor of Sports 1440 Radio reported that Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner is ready to play Friday (April 11) when the Oilers host the San Jose Sharks at Rogers Place.
Skinner hasn’t suited up for the Oilers since March 26 when he reportedly suffered a concussion during Edmonton’s loss to the Dallas Stars. The goaltender exited the game after being struck in the head by the knee of Stars forward Mikko Rantanen.
Olivier Rodrigue sent back to Bakersfield and Cam Dineen has been recalled on emergency basis.
— Jason Gregor (@JasonGregor) April 10, 2025
Stuart Skinner is ready to play and Dineen coming up in case Jake Walman isn't ready to play tomorrow.
During the seven games that Skinner was sidelined, Calvin Pickard started six games between the pipes for Edmonton, going 4-2-0 with a 2.83 goals-against average (GAA) and .901 save percentage (SV%), while Olivier Rodrigue got the other start in goal, allowing three goals on 21 shots in Edmonton’s loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Monday (April 7).
Rodrigue was reassigned to the Bakersfield Condors of the American Hockey League (AHL) on Thursday. The 24-year-old netminder had been recalled from Bakersfield on March 27, the day after Skinner sustained his injury.
The performance of Pickard during Skinner’s absence has prompted discussion among fans and media about who should be the Oilers’ starting goalie going into the playoffs. Edmonton has four games remaining on its 2024-25 regular season schedule before the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs start on April 19.
Over the nearly two seasons that they have played together, Skinner and Pickard have proven a winning tandem for the Oilers. Edmonton reached Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final in 2024 and is now on the verge of clinching a berth for the 2025 postseason.
Since Pickard made his Oilers debut in November 2023, the roles of starter and backup have always been clear-cut: Skinner is the former, Pickard is the latter.
But public question of Edmonton’s goalie hierarchy has grown throughout the season, as Skinner has continued to perform below standard, while Pickard has perhaps exceeded expectations. That chatter has now reached an all-time high, after Pickard capably filled the role of No. 1 netminder during Skinner’s absence.
Pickard Has Played Better This Season
On one hand, the notion that Pickard, who turns 33 on April 15, should be starting in front of the 26-year-old Skinner is ridiculous. Skinner was a Rookie of the Year finalist and All-Star Game participant in 2022-23 before winning 36 regular season games and backstopping Edmonton to within one victory of a championship last year; Pickard, who turns 33 on April 15, has spent the majority of his pro career in the AHL and played a grand total of 29 NHL games over the seven seasons spanning 2017-18 to 2022-23. Skinner has been in 35 NHL playoff games, including seven in the Stanley Cup Final; Pickard has appeared in just three NHL postseason contests.
On the other hand, Pickard has arguably been Edmonton’s best goaltender this season. Pickard’s stats (21-9-1, 2.65 GAA, .901 SV%) are better than Skinner’s numbers (24-18-4, 2.91 GAA, .894 SV%) across the board.
But more importantly, Pickard has played with a much greater consistency while making far fewer errors than Skinner. While fans seem to never know what version of Skinner is going to show up on a given night, Pickard’s steady reliability has provided them with a sense of calm this season.
In sports, there’s an old adage that a starter should never lose their spot because of injury. While that’s a noble sentiment, it’s maybe not a championship-winning approach. Logic, however ruthless, suggests a coach should roll with those athletes that provide the best chance of winning at that particular moment. Especially during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, when at any given time, a team is no more than four losses from elimination.
Skinner Doesn’t Lose Confidence
One question that arises frequently in the Skinner vs. Pickard playoff debate is, if Pickard starts the postseason and falters, can the Oilers confidently turn back to Skinner? While it’s true that some goalies might suffer a fatal blow to their confidence from losing their No. 1 spot, history shows that Skinner is not one of them. Consider the evidence:
Last postseason, when Skinner hit a rough patch and Edmonton fell behind 2-1 in its second round series against the Vancouver Canucks, Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch turned to Pickard. The backup came up huge as Edmonton won Game 4 to even the series. Then, after Edmonton lost Game 5, Knoblauch went back to Skinner.
From there, Skinner backstopped Edmonton to victory while facing elimination in both Games 6 and 7, and just kept on rolling, starting every game from there forward, as the Oilers beat the Dallas Stars 4-2 in the Western Conference Final and then battled the Florida Panthers to the brink of a championship.
Without Pickard, the Oilers probably don’t make it out of the second round. Without Skinner, Edmonton doesn’t make it to the championship series. From one game to the next last postseason, Knoblauch went with the goalie he felt gave his team the best opportunity at victory, and it resulted in Edmonton’s longest playoff run in 18 years.
Skinner Likely to Get the Nod
Based on what can be gleaned from watching Knoblauch guide the Oilers over the last year and a half, the coach will likely start Skinner in Game 1 of the first round. But would that be the right decision?
Skinner will almost certainly start at least two of Edmonton’s remaining four games, and his performance might help make the answer to that question clearer. Or it could have the complete opposite effect. Either way, the situation in the Oilers’ crease is going to be fascinating to watch.
