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Stuart Skinner reacts to the Penguins keeping him at the 2026 NHL trade deadline
Photo credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Seth Rorabaugh's Stuart Skinner post lands harder now, because Skinner stayed at the 2026 deadline.
Skinner was Edmonton's homegrown bet in net, a 27-year-old goalie the Oilers drafted in 2017, Round 3, No. 78 overall. He was on a three-year deal worth a $2.6 million cap hit.
Edmonton finally pulled the trigger on December 12, 2025. Skinner and Brett Kulak went to Pittsburgh, while the Oilers brought back Tristan Jarry and Samuel Poulin.
The why was simple hockey. Stan Bowman wanted a different look between the pipes, not another month of guessing if Skinner could steady a Cup-caliber team.
Skinner's comments on remaining in Pittsburgh past the deadline prove how much he enjoys his new city and is a bitter shot at Edmonton.
"I was very happy to stay. I love this group of guys. I want to do everything I can to be at my best for these guys and do something special this year."
"When it was three o'clock, I waited until about 3:45 (p.m.) because you never know. My wife was very happy too. My whole family was."
- Stuart Skinner
"When it was three o'clock, I waited until about 3:45 (p.m.) because you never know. My wife was very happy too. My whole family was."
- Stuart Skinner
That quote matters because it sounded honest. Skinner loved
S the room, wants to fight for it, and believes the group has something special.
S the room, wants to fight for it, and believes the group has something special.
But deadline emotion is not roster security. In a hard-cap league, belief only carries weight until management decides the fit is slipping.
Stuart Skinner became a warning for the Edmonton Oilers
A lot of Oilers fans know that feeling, confidence one month, panic the next, because goaltending can flip the whole season in a week.
Jarry carries the bigger ticket at $5.375 million through 2027-28, so Edmonton did not just change goalies. It changed risk, cap structure, and deadline pressure in one swing.
Jarry has posted a 3.96 goals-against average and .862 save percentage in Edmonton, which is exactly why that Skinner quote now feels so cold.
The next Oilers game will keep measuring that bet, because every save from Jarry now doubles as a verdict on the decision to move on from Stuart Skinner.
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| POLL | ||
MARS 8|341 ANSWERS Stuart Skinner reacts to the Penguins keeping him at the 2026 NHL trade deadline Did the Edmonton Oilers make the right long-term call by moving on from Stuart Skinner? | ||
| Yes | 84 | 24.6 % |
| No | 257 | 75.4 % |
| List of polls | ||