Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner's story of struggles and a chance at redemption

New York Times

28-05-2025

The Stanley Cup playoffs present opportunities for all participants. Some players turn into overnight sensations, while others become wildly unpopular with their fan base. Sometimes, both things happen in the same playoff run.
Such is the case for Stuart Skinner of the Edmonton Oilers. So far in his young career, Skinner has seen the good and the bad of playing for his hometown team.
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It's no easy task playing goalie for the Oilers. For decades, the iconic players have been centres (Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl), wingers (Jari Kurri, Glenn Anderson, Esa Tikkanen, Ryan Smyth, Zach Hyman) or defencemen (Paul Coffey, Kevin Lowe, Chris Pronger, Evan Bouchard).
Goalies? Grant Fuhr counts as an icon, and he was a local product who made good and played his way into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Fuhr had some difficulty early but settled in and backstopped the glory Oilers through the Stanley Cup runs of the 1980s. Fuhr may be the only individual on the planet who can completely relate to Skinner's spring.
Skinner's opening playoff performances against the Los Angeles Kings back in April were so poor that he lost the starting job. He stopped just 46 of 58 shots (via Natural Stat Trick) in the first two games, and didn't see the net again until Game 3 of the series against the Vegas Golden Knights on May 10.
Calvin Pickard's strong play after taking over gave the team new life, with Skinner relegated to the backup role. An injury to Pickard versus Vegas breathed new life into Skinner's playoff season, and the big man is running with the opportunity.
Players often get too much credit or blame for events that occur during the postseason. It can turn a fan base against a player, and in rare cases, management has used a single player as a scapegoat. An extreme example is the 2013 buyout of centre Mikhail Grabovski by the Toronto Maple Leafs after a devastating loss to the Boston Bruins in a pivotal Game 7.
There is no such worry with regard to Skinner and the Oilers. His teammates, specifically McDavid and Draisaitl in public statements, have been vocal in their support of Skinner through the difficult moments of this spring's playoffs.
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In fact, there are the makings of a redemption story in the Skinner experience this spring. His performance against the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night is another chapter in what is a building story.
Using five-on-five save percentage, here's a look at Skinner's playoff run for each of the three series he's played in so far in 2025:
All numbers five-on-five, via Natural Stat Trick
Skinner's progression is clear, and since regaining the net in the Vegas series, the young goaltender looks in complete control. Calm feet, confidence and a team playing well in front of him have settled nerves and allowed Skinner to shine.
His performance in Game 4 of the Dallas series on Tuesday night is a perfect example of Skinner's maturation. While there was endless activity around his net, the Stars were unable to sustain the fury of the opening period (16 shots in the first, nine in the second and four in the third period). Skinner held his ground, stopped all of the high-danger chances, and gave up just one goal, which was scored on the power play.
Skinner has stopped 86 of the last 88 shots sent his way by Dallas in the Western Conference final.
After the trials of one year ago, this year's postseason had an even rockier start. However, three shutouts recently (two against Vegas and one versus the Stars) have allowed for a change in the script for Skinner and Oilers fans.
Emily Kaplan of ESPN talked to Skinner right after the game on May 23, and conducted a brilliant interview. Skinner's answers reflected the maturity fans are seeing from the goaltender and players across the roster after last season's disappointment in Game 7 of the Final against the Florida Panthers.
In answer to Kaplan's question about who has helped the most in his game day mindset, Skinner shared, 'It truly does take a community, it takes a city, it takes a lot of people to help you persevere and go through challenges. Mainly your teammates. The way the guys play in front of me, day in and day out, no matter what situation we're in, that's all it is. I'm giving all the credit to the boys in there.'
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It's easy to forget Skinner was an unproven goaltender when he stepped into the breach in the fall of 2022. In the last three seasons, he has started 48, 57 and 50 regular-season games, respectively. His $2.6 million cap hit (with one year to go before his next contract) means Skinner is an extreme value deal.
That he plays one of the foundation positions (starting goalie is one of 12 such roles on the team) only adds to his value.
What's the next step for Skinner? It's the same goal for every member of the Oilers organization. Winning the Stanley Cup. At the rate things are going, Skinner may cement his role as the goaltender of record for the 2020s in Edmonton. The NHL in this era does not produce dynasties, but for a franchise that has been searching for Stanley since 1990, winning this spring would be something close to nirvana.
Skinner started this playoff spring poorly, but all is forgotten now. Forty-one long years after a homegrown goalie (Fuhr) led the team to its first Stanley Cup victory, another homegrown goalie is one win closer to doing the same.