Oilers General Manager Stan Bowman has a message for the "Stuart Skinner haters": don't expect a change in net anytime soon. Despite some shaky moments and the tendency for the team to perform well in front of their backup, Calvin Pickard, Bowman is standing firmly behind Skinner.
The timing of Bowman's comments is particularly noteworthy. Pickard had just delivered a solid performance in a 3-1 win against the Vancouver Canucks. Meanwhile, Skinner's misplay in the season opener against the Calgary Flames led to a game-tying goal and an eventual shootout loss. This led to many fans calling for Pickard to take over as the starter, or for the Oilers to seek a different goalie altogether.
Bowman addressed these concerns directly, arguing that recency bias was likely clouding some fans' perspectives on the two netminders. He defended Skinner's play, suggesting that the criticism had gone too far. "There's a lot of attention on Stuart in particular," Bowman said. "He made a bad play, sure, but the first two goals—nobody's stopping those. They were kind of fluke plays." He even pointed out that "nobody got a shot past our goalie that night," noting that both early goals came off deflections or high sticks and that the game-winner resulted from a miscommunication.
Bowman also drew attention to the fact that Pickard made a similar mistake during the preseason, one that didn't spark the same level of outrage. “It happens to every goalie a couple times a year,” he said.
Despite Bowman's support, the pressure on Skinner is undeniable. After the loss to the Flames, coach Kris Knoblauch was candid about the team's goaltending concerns. "Anytime you get scored against it's a gut punch," Knoblauch said. "It's us playing an almost perfect first half of the game, and then we get sloppy, and they score on that goal."
Skinner himself acknowledged his miscue, stating, "It was miscommunication and I was slow to react. It was one bad decision and it makes you look really bad... Make a quick decision and throw it in the corner. Fixed".
Some hockey analysts believe that Skinner is on a short leash and that Bowman won't hesitate to make a trade if Skinner doesn't show significant improvement. TSN's Ryan Rishaug noted that Bowman is committed to seeing what they have in Skinner "for a chunk of time," but also stated, "If Stuart Skinner is not capable of handling this, he won't be here".
Skinner's stats from the 2024-25 season include a 26-18-4 record with a 2.81 goals-against average and an .896 save percentage. While he has shown flashes of brilliance, consistency has been a concern.
The Oilers have brought in a new goalie coach, Peter Aubrey, hoping that a fresh perspective will help Skinner elevate his game. Former Oilers netminder Devan Dubnyk believes that a new goalie coach could have a significant impact.
Ultimately, the Oilers' success hinges on Skinner's performance. As the team enters a "win-now" window, they need him to be a reliable starter. While Bowman is publicly supporting Skinner, the message is clear: the young goaltender needs to prove that he can be the answer in net for the Oilers. If not, Bowman has shown he is not afraid to explore other options.
