The Edmonton Oilers are winners of five Stanley Cups since joining the NHL as part of the WHA merger in 1979. But they have not won the trophy since 1990 and until the 2023-2024 season had made only one trip back to the Stanley Finals.
So the last two seasons, in which the Oilers have made back-to-back appearances in the NHL’s championship series, appeared to represent a dramatic turnaround for the franchise â which was founded as part of the World Hockey Association in 1972.
Unfortunately, neither trip to the Finals worked out for Edmonton, losing to the Florida Panthers in both years. And in the second attempt, in the series completed on June 17, the Oilers could point to one serious issue â goaltending.
Skinner Didn’t Measure Up in Cup Final vs. Panthers
Stuart Skinner, the 26-year-old primary Edmonton netminder, simply did not get the job done, allowing 19 goals to slip by, saving 118 â a save percentage of .861 â about 35 points lower than his regular season percentage and even further below his .906 career rate.
Skinner’s shaky performance forced coach Kris Knoblauch to bench him on multiple occasions, yanking him mid-game in favor of veteran backup Calvin Pickard.
The benchings, embarrassing for any goalie, had to be especially painful for Skinner, a local boy, the youngest of nine children born and raised in Edmonton who fulfilled his dream when he heard his name called by the Oilers with the 78th overall pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.
But what to do with Skinner now â if the Oilers hope to get back to the Stanley Cup Final a third straight year and win it this time around?
In his post-season press briefing, Edmonton general manager Sam Bowman singled out goaltending as an area that needed an upgrade, but added that he couldn’t âjust go down to the corner and pick up an elite goalie. They’re not just waiting to join your team, right?â
An Available Low-Cost Upgrade Who Can Push Skinner
Caleb Kerney, Edmonton correspondent for The Hockey News, made a proposal in his Friday column that would give Skinner a “push” and could create a “1A/1B” goaltending situation that would push both goalie to stay at the top of their respective games.
“If the Oilers want to add a goaltender who has played in high-pressure markets before in a tandem situation, they would be hard-pressed to find a better goalie to pair with Skinner than Ilya Samsonov,” Kerney proposed, singling out the backup Vegas Golden Knights goalie who declared free agency this week after playing out a single-year, $1.8 million contract with the Pacific Division winners.
Kerney listed four reasons why, in his view, the 28-year-old Magnitogorsk, Russia, native would be the ideal fit for Edmonton’s needs.
1. “Samsonov Wonât Break The Bank”
Since leaving the team that drafted him in the first round in 2015, the Washington Capitals, after the 2021-2022 season, “Samsonovâs last four contracts have all been very affordable, with three of the four costing $2 million or less. The most heâs been paid on a one-year deal was $3.55 million,” Kerney noted.
2. “Samsonov Has Played In High-Intensity Markets Before”
In addition to Washington and Las Vegas, two markets with high expectations, Samsonov spent two years with the Toronto Maple Leafs “dealing with the hype of the biggest hockey city in Canada, in addition to an Original Six team,” which Kerney called “a feather in his cap.”
3. “Samsonov Has Been In A Similar Situation”
The “1A/1B” goalie alignment is one that Samsonov has dealt with already, sharing duties in the Washington net almost evenly with Vitek Vanecek.
4. “Samsonov Is A Better Fit Than Pickard”
Finally, the Hockey News scribe believes that the Russian import would provide stronger motivation for Skinner than current backup Pickard.
“According to NHL Edge data, he was better than both Skinner and Pickard in two key areas: high-danger save percentage and mid-range save percentage,” Kerney noted. “Samsonov boasted a .814 HDSV and an .871 MRSV. Samsonov was better in both metrics compared to Pickard. Samsonovâs HDSV was better than Skinner’s, but Skinner held a better MRSV.”
In other words, Samsonov presents the Oilers best chance at upgrading the goaltender position without testing the salary cap, and also with no need to “go down to the corner and pick up an elite goalie.”
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