This June, the Edmonton Oilers were handed their second consecutive defeat by the Florida Panthers. For all his heroics, Connor McDavid failed to bring the Stanley Cup to Canada. Among many drawbacks that the Oilers suffered from, the goaltending situation stood out like a sore thumb.
Stuart Skinner of the Oilers was pulled during Games 3 and 4 after allowing five goals on 23 shots and three goals on 17 shots, respectively. Calvin Pickard replaced Skinner on both occasions and helped the Oilers cinch a narrow 5-4 OT victory in Game 4, all thanks to Leon Draisaitl’s overtime goal.
However, the team couldn’t ultimately win the championship. As the offseason arrived, a nagging question loomed: What is the Oilers management doing about the goalie situation that arguably cost the team Stanley Cup glory?
NHL Insider Pours Cold Water Over Edmonton Oilers Fans’ Hopes of a New Goalie
Despite his questionable performance in key finals games, HC Kris Knoblauch went with Skinner for the crucial Game 6. Although Knoblauch didn’t believe it would be fair to blame Pickard for the Game 5 loss, the 26-year-old was a reliable option for the final game. Come Game 6, Skinner cut a sorry picture when compared to the Panthers’ goalie, Sergei Bobrovsky. In Game 6, the 36-year-old registered a save percentage of .966, as against Skinner, with a save percentage of .870.
NHL Insider John Shannon diminished any remaining expectations of welcoming a new goalie to the franchise this offseason. The reason? The management is content with the existing goaltending arrangement. In his recent “Inside Sports” podcast appearance, Shannon made it adequately clear where Stan Bowman and others stand on the goalie situation.
John Shannon: Re Oilers: At a certain point…do you still want to address what’s gonna happen in goal? I would think that’s probably the biggest question; at the same time, talking to Stan [Bowman] Monday, he seemed quite satisfied – Inside Sports (7/24)
— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) July 25, 2025
“Do you still want to address what’s going to happen in goal? And I would think that that’s probably the biggest question, but at the same time, in talking to Stan on Monday, he seemed quite satisfied where they are with their goaltending situation as it is right now.”
The team’s management does not believe there is an urgent need to hire a new netminder. However, once Skinner’s profile is interrogated, that belief could be substantiated. The Edmonton native has been a reliable option for the Oilers. Now 26, Skinner has plenty of room for improvement.
As Martin Biron pointed out in a TSN interview ahead of Stanley Cup Game 6, despite his performance in the postseason, Skinner was a better option between the two. “Stuart Skinner has been the number one goaltender for the Oilers all year, and for me, he is the better of the two goaltenders. When he is on, he is really on,” he said.
Perhaps the Oilers want to give Skinner the time he needs to bring out the best in him.
