The Edmonton Oilers have a question mark at goalie, but Stuart Skinner will likely remain the starting goalie.
The Oilers have lost in the Stanley Cup Final in back-to-back years, but Skinner has been inconsistent and pulled in both playoff runs. Yet, he still has an important player for Edmonton and should be in line for a massive extension.
Skinner is entering the final year of his three-year, $7.8 million deal. Yet, NHL insider Kurt Leavins of the Edmonton Journal believes Skinner will get over $6 million per season.
“The Oilers and other NHL teams who may have a future interest in the netminder and no doubt also going to school on the newly signed deal by Lukas Dostal in Anaheim,” Leavins wrote. “The fine young Ducks netminder inked a 5-year contract, $6.25m AAV. And that deal promises to be a but of a blueprint for Skinner…
“Detractors may not like that assertion, but Wins and Losses matter. As a result, something above $6m seems to be in the range of what he may be able to fetch, be it in Edmonton or somewhere else,” Leavins added. “But: If Skinner goes out and has a great year, and finally wins that cup in try #3…that calculus changes. Big time.”
Signing Skinner to a deal worth more than $6 million per year may be a tough pill to swallow for some fans. But, the Oilers don’t have many other options than him in the net.
Insider Expects Dostal Deal to be What Oilers Give Skinner
Anaheim signing Dostal to the extension likely sets the blueprint for a Skinner extension.
Leavins believes Dostal and Skinner are similar, and the analytics prove that the Oilers’ goalie is likely worth upwards of $6 million per season.
“Comparing the two: Luka Dostal is twenty-five. Over the last two seasons, he has averaged 50 GP, a GAA around 3.22, a SV% of about .903. Dostal has no playoff experience. Skinner has played thirty-eight post-season games the past two years and is twenty-six,” Leavins wrote. “Over the same two-year stretch? Skinner is averaging 55 GP, a 2.90 GAA, and a .893 SV%.
“Now, if we are being fair, Skinner did play on a far superior team. Looking at analytics, Skinner had an even-strength HDsc SV% of .824 last year. Dostal was slightly better than that at .831,” Leavins added.
Skinner went 26-18-4 with a 2.81 GAA and a .896 SV%, which was a down year. But, in the playoffs, he was 7-7 with a 2.99 GAA and a .899 SV%, as his numbers in the postseason are worse than the regular season.
Oilers GM Open to Making a Goalie Move
Entering the offseason, Edmonton had been heavily linked to adding a goalie.
Yet, the Oilers haven’t added a goalie, and general manager Stan Bowman says he is evaluating the goalie market to see if they need to make a move.
“Well, the evaluation isn’t something you do just once or twice and then it’s over with. When I say that, it’s not just looking at the goaltending we have, but also what’s out there and options,” Bowman said. “So it’s going to be a process that we’re going to go through. I don’t think we’re going to come to one decision tomorrow or the next day. It’s really about taking in the information, and eventually, we’re going to settle on the thing that we think makes the most sense.”
If the Oilers don’t make any moves at goalie, Edmonton will have Skinner and Calvin Pickard as their goalie tandem.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Insider Reveals Surpising Contract Prediction for Oilers’ Stuart Skinner appeared first on Heavy Sports.