Edmonton Oilers
“He’s Only 26”: Former Oiler with Valid Point on Imminent Skinner Trade
Marner’s exit still looms large as the Leafs enter a pivotal season, with fans and analysts divided over blame.
Goaltending in Edmonton comes with pressures few players ever face — and Stuart Skinner, despite all of his faults — has handled them better than many expected.
“He’s dealing with pressures that nobody else is dealing with,” former NHL goalie Devan Dubnyk told The Big Show this week. “That’s part of playing in a Canadian market, and he’s done a really, really impressive job of handling it.”
Despite a season of ups and downs, including some highs and lows in the last two playoff runs for the Oilers, Skinner has been better than many fans give him credit for. Most importantly, he’s picked up what feels like a decade’s worth of experience in just a couple of seasons. It’s the kind of experience most NHL goalies never get.
Perhaps most impressive about his career is that, despite the downs, he’s often found ways to mentally shake off the poor performances and come back with stellar starts. He’s played in playoff rounds that included back-to-back shutouts and posted steady performances that carried his team to a second consecutive Stanley Cup Final appearance.
Dubnyk highlighted the young goalie’s experience: “He’s only 26 and already has more playoff experience than three-quarters of the league ever will. That’s remarkable. And he’s just hitting his prime.”

Fans who are looking for the Oilers to trade Skinner quickly forget how much he’s learned in a relatively short career. And, as a wise person once told me, “You never lose, you either win or learn.” The assumption should be here that Skinner is learning.
“I think going through it the first time, you go through that experience in the summer and then you realize the things you did well and the things you didn’t do well,” Skinner said to NHL.coms Derek Van Diest. “So going through it a second time, but being able to say you went through this does help you get over it quicker, just because you have to go back into training and do it all over again.”
He’s figuring out what to do and what not to do. Skinner is learning what works and what doesn’t. If the Oilers trade that away for anything less than an obvious upgrade, they’re throwing away all of those valuable life and hockey lessons.
How Long Do the Oilers Give Skinner?
If we take into account his age, that he’s in his prime, and that Skinner is picking up lessons along the way that should contribute to his becoming a better and more reliable goaltender, there’s an argument that can be made to keep him in Edmonton.
Still, questions remain about how long to wait before learning if he’s ever going to put all the pieces together. With expectations sky-high around stars like Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, the stakes are enormous. The Oilers are no longer in the window where they can afford to keep letting Skinner “figure it out.”
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