"He won't be here": Insiders confirm Oilers patience running out with one player
Photo credit: Edmonton Oilers Raw
Two of the top Oilers insiders have confirmed that Stuart Skinner will be traded away if he doesn't show major improvement this season.
In the first game of the Oilers season Skinner struggled once again, allowing an awful goal in a collapse loss. Calvin Pickard could now start Game 2, showing the Oilers trust in Skinner is diminishing.
Two Top Oilers insiders confirm Skinned will be traded away before playoffs if he doesn't improve
On tonight's edition of OilersNow, both Bob Stauffer and Ryan Rishaug confirmed that Edmonton will not enter the playoffs with Skinner as the starter if there isn't a major change with his consistency.
RISHAUG: What I would say to you Oilers fans that are worried? Don't worry. If Stuart Skinner's not capable of handling this, he won't be here. He will not be in net for Game 1 of the playoffs if he does not clearly show to the team this year that he's going to do a better job at handling that than the past. I think we all know Skinner's on the clock here.
STAUFFER: 100%.
STAUFFER: 100%.
This is as clear as Oilers insiders have ever been that Skinner's tenure in Edmonton is at risk.
If the Oilers were to make a goalie trade, Skinner would likely be going back the other way. The 26 year old netminder has an affordable contract at $2.6M and impressive playoff experience - but the results just haven't been there.
Skinner lost the starter's net in the last two playoffs, and the Oilers goaltending has routinely been the worst among all playoff teams. He posted far below average results last season with an .896 save percentage, and is starting off this season below that.
Simply put, the Oilers can't afford entering another playoffs unsure of their starting goaltender. They're in a clear win-now window, and can't allow such a glaring weakness.
The clock is now ticking for Stuart Skinner. If he can't consistently post quality results this season, the Edmonton Oilers will likely trade him to acquire another goaltender.
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