Stuart Skinner can face the most criticism of any goaltender on social media throughout the NHL, and imagine how it happened and brutally brutal, the backlash he faced online. While he has proven to be a capable player in the past, helping the Oilers to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals, there comes a point where his shortcomings must be acknowledged.
Related: Insiders suggest Oilers are open to trade Stick Skinner
Leather, who is 27 years old, played 16 games this season, winning seven of them and sending one volout. He posted a 3.00 goals-against (Gaa), a .882 Save percentage (SV%), and goals-saved-over-expected (GSAX). He faced that tandem partner, Calvin Picrard, but his lack of consistency cost him his job next season.
Fans were quick to come to the defense of the leather, finding his performance in his last playoff run as a reason for his approval as a potential backup with Oled. Some fans are quick to point out that past goodtenders are out of town, like Devan Dubnyk, who went on to become a solid starter for another team.
The big difference here is that the Oilers don’t have time to wait for the skin to find his confidence and settle into a different role or find his game under a new goalie coach. He is expected to be an early thinker, is relied upon to shape plays in difficult situations, and is relied upon to make a big save when needed. Leash was short coming into the 2025-26 season, and he is currently showing a lot of improvement from last season. A trade or layoff should, but hopefully not, come soon.
Unfortunately, the Oilers are in a position where they need skin and leather to turn their game around right away, and there seems to be no sign of that happening. As of now, there is no more skin protection, and the Oilers need to make a move between the pipes before their playoff hopes slip away.
Other Issues Are – Goalting Needs to be addressed
There are a few very important things to remember when talking about olers’ Goalteting. First, the Oilers lack cap space. I know, it’s been an “excuse” for a while now, but that makes things difficult. There are always cheaper options on the market (give me Mikey Dipietro or NICO Daws), but it will be hard to find a team willing to move a goaltender this time, especially for a team that just entered their second Stanley Cup.
Second, sequential movements may not help enough fat to get rid of it in your vagina. Pickard had a stellar showing against the Tampa Bay Lightning recently, and the Oilers lost most of the game. Some fans will argue, but the truth is, PickArd was the only reason to keep oil getting a point at all. In fact, that game showed that a power change won’t fix everything.
Other issues need to be addressed, starting with the lack of offensive production throughout the oilers’ roster. Their failure to find the back of the net can cost them games. In addition, their defensive game has been brutal. Darnell Nurse has had a couple solid games, but he, Brett Kulak, Alec Rerulak, Matt Ekholm, Ty Ekholm, and Jake Walman have had their fair share early this season.
The solution? Desperation. The Oilers need to find a way to get creative and start plays. They have the depth of the games and make another deep planet, but they need to find a way to strengthen their depth, improve their tandem, and create more goals. Time is running out for them to figure things out before they go into panic mode and start selling players out, but there’s still time to fix things.
One thing is for sure: The team can’t wait for the skin. He can be a capable backup, but his days as a starting goal must be over, especially if the Oilers want to win their first Stanley Cup since 1990 this season.
There are options here and there, and the Oilers should be more than willing to upgrade their team sooner rather than later. If not, they can start sending scouts to watch Gavin Mckenna and Keaton Verhoeff.
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