Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner will enter the second season of a three-year bridge deal in 2024-25 on a contract that carries a $2.6MM AAV. Accordingly, he’s still a year away from becoming eligible to discuss an extension. However, that hasn’t stopped the netminder from changing representation as Alpha Hockey’s Ray Petkau announced (Twitter link) that his agency is now representing Skinner.
It has been an eventful couple of years for the 25-year-old. In his first full NHL season, Skinner made the All-Rookie team while posting a 2.75 GAA and a .913 SV% in 50 regular season games, taking over as the starter from Jack Campbell. That helped earn him the three-year deal from then-GM Ken Holland. Skinner also got the bulk of the workload in the 2023 postseason, putting him in a good position to be leaned on as the undisputed starter for 2023-24.
While Skinner played big minutes like a true starter last season, it wasn’t exactly easy. Through the first two months of the season, he posted a save percentage of just .881, resulting in Calvin Pickard starting to see regular NHL action for the first time in several years. However, he was much better when the calendar flipped to 2024, posting a .914 SV% from January on. Skinner then followed that up with a 2.45 GAA and a .901 SV% in 23 playoff starts before falling to Florida in the Stanley Cup Final.
At this point, it’s fair to suggest that Skinner has boosted his stock beyond his $3MM required qualifying offer in 2026. The goal now will be to play more consistently and show that he’s worth starters’ money (more than double his current AAV) on a long-term deal. Regardless of when discussions for that next deal start, it’ll be someone different handling the negotiations on Skinner’s end this time around.
Team Canada goalie?