The Edmonton Oilers have done this before. Over the past two seasons, they’ve ignored the signs, chosen to bury their heads in the sand and press on. It’s early into the 2025-2026 season, but it’s clear that they are going to repeat this same mistake.
The Oilers cannot be fooled by early season success from goaltender Stuart Skinner.
This is the the fourth season with Skinner as the go-to guy in net. He’s played in at least 50 regular season games in three consecutive years and appeared in at least 12 contests in each of the past three postseasons. He and Calvin Pickard are attempting to finally get over the hump in their third season together as the tandem in Edmonton.
The thing is, they already know this doesn’t work.
Nov 22, 2023; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner (74) is meet by goaltender Calvin Pickard (30) after being pulled in the first period against the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images / James Guillory-Imagn Images
Where the Oilers consistently fail is their unwavering belief in Skinner and Pickard. The duo is above average, granted, but unproven when it matters the most. If anything, they’ve proven twice now that they are not the tandem that can rise to the occasion when the Oilers are down and out.
Last year’s playoff was a train wreck in goal. They made the Stanley Cup Finals in spite of their goaltending. The year before might trick people into thinking Skinner was playing at the same level as his counterpart Sergei Bobrovsky, but the game logs paint a different picture.
What the game logs show is that Skinner is as inconsistent as it comes in the playoffs. During the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, he had 11 starts where he allowed three or more goals out of a possible 23 appearances. This past year, he allowed three or more goals 10 times out of 15 possible starts.
But sure, a shutout in October means he’s back and figured it all out.
There’s no denying that Skinner is talented. And there’s also no denying that he can steal a victory at times for the Oilers. The problem is that there is no way to defend against what happens when he’s off his game. Yes, playoff demons can be vanquished and there’s plenty of examples in the NHL to point to. But when does a trend turn into the perception?
That’s the impasse the Oilers and Skinner are at. The perception in Edmonton is that he’s their best option due to his talent. The trends, the data and the eye test show that is simply not the case. The Oilers are leaving themselves in possible peril if they are fooled by this tandem for another year.
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