There's Always Stuart Skinner: Oilers UFA Market Looks Slim

Stan Bowman might need to find a starting goaltender this summer, but the UFA market has looked him dead in the eyes and shrugged.

This year’s free agent market could’ve been one for the ages. Stars like Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, and Kirill Kaprizov were all eligible for UFA status. Then they all signed extensions, and what was once a promising class became one of the weakest in years. Nowhere is that more apparent than in net.

Sergei Bobrovsky is the biggest name potentially available, a two-time Vezina winner and two-time Stanley Cup champion who has certainly become one of the more interesting storylines of the summer. But he’s 37, the Panthers may still re-sign him, and even if he hits the market, he’s not going to be a long-term answer for anyone.

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Cam Talbot is also expected to reach free agency, but turns 39 on July 5. Frederik Andersen, who has been in and out of the lineup in Carolina for two seasons, is another name that might surface.

So: a 37-year-old coming off a down year, a 39-year-old, and a 36-year-old whose body has made his retirement decision for him twice already. For a team that needs its goaltender to carry a real workload next October, this is not exactly a buyer’s market.

There is, however, one intriguing option. A 27-year-old pending UFA with two Stanley Cup Final appearances on his résumé, a .902 career save percentage, and a cap hit that won’t break the bank. A guy who knows Rogers Place, knows the dressing room, knows how to play behind McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

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His name is Stuart Skinner. You may have heard of him.

Skinner split his season between Edmonton and Pittsburgh after the mid-December trade, posting an .891 save percentage with the Edmonton Oilers and .885 with the Penguins. Nearly identical numbers on two very different rosters.

Pittsburgh isn’t expected to bring him back, with younger options like Arturs Silovs and Sergei Murashov in the pipeline. He’s projected to command somewhere in the $3.8 million range on his next deal.

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The circular nature of it all is almost poetic. Bowman traded Skinner away in December to acquire Tristan Jarry, a move that did not go well for anyone involved. Jarry had an .858 save percentage in 19 games with the Oilers and started just once in the playoffs. Now Jarry is still owed $5.375 million a year for two more seasons, Skinner is a free agent, and Edmonton is back at square one.

Could Bowman actually re-sign the goalie he traded away six months ago? Stranger things have happened, though not many. The optics would be awkward. The price would be modest. And in a market this thin, modest and available might be the best offer on the table.

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Skinner has always said he has no regrets about his time in Edmonton. Whether he’d want to come back is a separate question. Whether Bowman has the nerve to ask is another one entirely.

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