By Jordan Long
The Edmonton Oilers stand at 17-14-2 a total of 36 points, 4th in the Pacific Division. They are also tied with the Colorado Avalanche for the last two Wild Card spots. Colorado owns the tiebreaker since they have played 3 fewer games. The Oilers decided to agree to a contract extension with goaltender Stuart Skinner.
Skinner has been with the Oilers since 2020. Last season was his first where he spent time in the NHL. His record was 6-6 with a goals against average of 2.62 and a save percentage of .913. The Oilers earned a playoff spot but were beaten in the Western Conference Finals. The Colorado Avalanche swept them, outscoring Edmonton 22-13. Of course, the Avalanche would end up beating the Tampa Bay Lightning in 6 games to claim their third Stanley Cup in franchise history. Skinner didn’t even make an appearance in the postseason.
This season, the goal is high for Edmonton. They would like nothing more than to advance far into the playoffs once again. A Canadian team has not won the Stanley Cup since 1993 when Montreal beat the L.A. Kings in 5 games.
The Oilers feel Skinner is their future. This season in net, his record is 9-8-1 with a goals against average of 2.83 and a save percentage of .915. The Oilers could have waited to sign him to an extension but figure this would be the best time to do so. Skinner agreed to a 3-year, $7.8 million contract, averaging $2.6 million per year which will expire at the end of 2026.
Skinner can focus on playing hockey, stopping the puck from entering the net and not worry about his contract situation. He will be the backup to Jack Campbell whose contract expires in 2027. If Campbell’s play goes downhill at least they have Skinner to help them win games with the ultimate goal of winning the Cup.
Leave a Reply