‘I’m really excited to be back’: Stuart Skinner looking to stay fresh as Oilers start preparations for next season

It’s been a tough two seasons for the Edmonton Oilers, suffering back-to-back Stanley Cup Final losses to the Florida Panthers.

And in the process, it’s offered the team plenty of learning experiences — and Stuart Skinner is no different.

The netminder spoke to NHL.com‘s Derek van Diest on Saturday, telling him about how after the 2024 loss, he likely got on the ice too soon in the summer.

“I think I got back on the ice a little too quick last summer, talking about the experience part again,” he said, adding he returned to the ice August 1st, skating in his offseason home of Kelowna, B.C.. “Going into the season, I want to be as fresh as I can, as strong as I can.

“Just mentally being able to let go and put hockey aside for a couple of weeks and have that excitement of wanting to get back and get back on the ice and get back to work, I’ve definitely found that. It was hard to stay off as long as I did, but that’s a really good sign. It means you really love the game, and I’m really excited to be back on the ice.”

The Oilers, as to be expected, have aspirations nothing short of hoisting Lord Stanley’s Mug this season. A berth to the final would make them the 16th time in NHL history and sixth time in the modern era a team made it to three straight finals.

And for as cliche as it may be for players and teams to talk about learning from past experiences, the Oilers have shown their ability to do just that in recent years.

“I think going through it the first time, you go through that experience in the summer and then you realize the things you did well and the things you didn’t do well,” said Skinner. “So going through it a second time, which is obviously devastating, but being able to say you went through this does actually help you get over it quicker, just because you have to go back into training and do it all over again.”

It’ll be a pivotal year for Skinner himself, with him entering the final year of a three-year, $2.6-million AAV extension he signed in Dec. 2022. A pending unrestricted free agent, this could be the make-or-break year in the organization for the netminder.