Oilers Face Critical Goaltending Crossroads: is a Stuart Skinner Trade Certain?
The Edmonton Oilers are at a pivotal moment, grappling with a defensive crisis and underperforming goaltending that threatens to derail their season. Currently holding a 10-10-5 record as of late November, the team finds itself outside the Western Conference playoff picture, alongside last season’s struggling franchises, the San Jose Sharks and Chicago Blackhawks.
The most alarming aspect of the oilers’ early season struggles is their glaring minus-18 goal differential, matching the Calgary Flames for the worst in the Pacific Division. Despite boasting the sixth-highest goal total in the league with 77 scored, Edmonton is being consistently undone by its porous defense, having conceded a league-leading 95 goals. This has resulted in a dismal .860 combined save percentage from goaltenders Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard, the worst mark in the NHL.
In a recent analysis, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman questioned whether the Oilers should consider trading Skinner, a local product they were not providing adequate support in front of Skinner.
A recent seven-game road trip through the Eastern Conference offered a glimmer of hope, with the Oilers earning three out of four possible points against the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers. Calvin Pickard delivered a strong performance against Tampa, stopping 33 of 35 shots in an overtime loss, while Stuart Skinner turned aside 35 of 38 shots in a win over Florida.
However, any momentum gained was quickly extinguished in the aforementioned loss to Dallas. Skinner allowed four goals on just eight shots in the first period,prompting his replacement by Pickard,who conceded another four goals on 22 shots. Pickard’s strong showing in a 2-1 loss to Tampa Bay earlier in the trip had seemingly solidified his position, with teammates rallying around him, but the Dallas debacle underscored the team’s systemic issues.
One complicating factor is Skinner’s cap-pleasant $2.6 million average annual value (AAV). The Oilers initially hoped to retain him due to this financial advantage, believing they needed a guaranteed upgrade to justify trading him. Now, the question becomes: are they losing more by not exploring trade options? Could a change of scenery revitalize Skinner, or could a new acquisition lift the entire team?
the Oilers’ current goaltending situation is a relatively recent growth. After Jack Campbell, signed to a $25 million contract, posted a .873 save percentage in his first five starts of the 2023-24 season, he was placed on waivers and Pickard was called up from the American Hockey League. This change coincided with a coaching change that dramatically altered the team’s trajectory, leading to a 46-18-5 record under Kris Knoblauch and a run to the Stanley Cup Final, where they ultimately fell to the florida Panthers. skinner and Pickard repeated the feat in 2024-25, again losing to Florida in the Cup Final.
While making a notable goaltending change mid-season is challenging, the Colorado Avalanche demonstrated it is possible. last season, facing a similar predicament with Alexandar Georgiev and Justus Annunen (a combined .873 save percentage through the first two months), colorado proactively overhauled their tandem.on November 30, they traded Annunen and a pick to the nashville Predators for scott Wedgewood, and on December 9, they dealt Georgiev and additional picks to the San Jose Sharks for Mackenzie Blackwood. Both Blackwood and Wedgewood excelled following the trades, posting save percentages of .913 and .917 respectively.
Unless Oilers general Manager Stan Bowman is willing to accept a rebuilding year and wait for increased cap versatility next summer, he may need to emulate the Avalanche’s aggressive approach and identify a hidden gem on the trade market. However, one observer questioned whether Bowman might simply “stare past the problems in front of him and pretend they aren’t ther.” The Oilers’ immediate future hinges on addressing their goaltending woes, and a arduous decision regarding Stuart Skinner appears increasingly inevitable.
