Things haven’t exactly gone as well as hoped for ex-Edmonton Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner and his new team.
The Edmonton native was shipped off to the Pittsburgh Penguins earlier this month in a big trade that saw Tristan Jarry go back to the Oilers. That ended a six-year stint with the team, the last three of which saw him be the team’s starting goaltender.
Skinner was struggling to hold onto the Edmonton net to start this season, but he had been playing well in the games leading up to the trade. This, perhaps, gave Pittsburgh some hope that the 27-year-old had finally found his game and could help the team return to the playoffs once again.
However, through his first two games with the Penguins, things haven’t looked all that great. Skinner lost games to the Oilers and Montreal Canadiens, allowing a total of eight goals on 42 shots in those two matchups.
That works out to an ugly .810 save percentage.
Connor McDavid’s goal on his former teammate Stuart Skinner was a beauty‼️ pic.twitter.com/CvedUJ0fCn
— ESPN (@espn) December 17, 2025
Skinner will have a bit of a different situation in Pittsburgh as compared to Edmonton. With the Oilers, he was expected to be the starting goaltender on a Stanley Cup-contending team. Meanwhile, the Penguins will be using him in a tandem alongside Arturs Silovs, while also not having the pressure to win a Stanley Cup right away.
Oilers fans won’t be shocked to see the rocky start from Skinner. While he was beloved by many Edmonton fans, Skinner had picked up a reputation as being one of the streakiest goaltenders in the NHL.
Things have gone better for the Oilers in the aftermath of the trade. Though Jarry is injured right now, he has won his first three games with Edmonton, despite putting up a less-than-stellar .887 save percentage in that span.
It’s still very early into his Penguins tenure, and Skinner will be looking to turn things around ahead of his return to the Alberta capital on Jan. 22.