Oilers insider reveals exact front office conditions for trading Stuart Skinner
Photo credit: Imagn Images
The Edmonton Oilers' goaltending is one of the weak points of their roster this year, and the front office may finally trade Stuart Skinner for a true upgrade.
Earlier this season, TSN insider Ryan Rishaug reported that the Oilers have officially put Skinner on the clock and will trade him if a true upgrade is still needed by the playoffs.
TSN Insider Ryan Rishaug clarified report on future of Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner
Speaking on the most recent edition of OilersNow, Rishaug clarified his comments. If the Oilers are presented with the option to trade Skinner in part for a bona-fide upgrade, they will take the deal.
Here's the situation as I see it: If a deal comes up that allows Stan Bowman to make a trade tomorrow, that he knows in his gut is going to be an upgrade in net and it involves moving from Stuart Skinner, it's done, it's done, no question.
I don't think that deal is going to happen, I don't think there's a deal to be had. I don't think there would be a second's hesitation to do the deal if he knew he could improve that position tomorrow. Why would he hesitate?
- Ryan Rishaug
I don't think that deal is going to happen, I don't think there's a deal to be had. I don't think there would be a second's hesitation to do the deal if he knew he could improve that position tomorrow. Why would he hesitate?
- Ryan Rishaug
Like Rishaug mentioned, unfortunately for the Oilers such a promising deal isn't currently available for Edmonton. There aren't any star NHL goalies known to be on the market at the moment - only those that come with a fair amount of risk.
However, a deal could still unfold closer to the NHL's trade deadline. If a team like the Predators, Islanders, Blues, or Bruins fall out of playoff contention, there could be some stars made available. Skinner heading back in a trade makes sense for any team trading a goaltender.
So far this year, Skinner has been incrementally better than league average save percentage, but has still struggled with consistency of his game.
He'll need to eliminate the weak goals from his starts entirely for an extended period for the Oilers to be truly comfortable before playoffs.
TRENDING NOW
