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Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner makes a save against the New York Rangers (Brad Penner-Imagn Images)

Insiders Suggest Oilers Open to Trading Stuart Skinner

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Jesse Courville-Lynch | Last updated Nov 3, 2025 9:15 AM ET

Coming into the 2025-26 season, Oilers fans were split down the middle in regards to goaltender Stuart Skinner. Some of the fans wanted him to be traded, sent down, or bought out, while some fans wanted him to stick around and try to figure out his consistency issues under a new goalie coach. He has remained with the Oilers to open the new season, and while he hasn’t been perfect, he has seemingly improved a bit, but his game is still not at an elite level.

The Oilers did make a move to acquire some organizational depth, bringing in Connor Ingram from the Utah Mammoth as he works his way back to the NHL after taking some time away from hockey, but he doesn’t seem to be the immediate solution, which is fine, but the Oilers may have to decide on their netminders sooner rather than later.

Skinner, who is 27 years old, has played nine games this season, winning four of them, posting one shutout, and adding a 2.52 goals-against-average (GAA) with a .900 save percentage (SV%). He has also posted a 2.1 goals-saved-above-expected (GSAX).

In a recent edition of Oilers Now, Ryan Rishaug joined Bob Stauffer again and added more fuel to the fire, stating that if the Oilers had the right deal in front of them for Skinner, they wouldn’t hesitate to make a trade, but that deal hasn’t come up yet.

Rishaug would go on to say that the Oilers already have a plan in place with Ingram sitting in the American Hockey League (AHL) if things go sour, but mentions that general manager Stan Bowman “may have no choice” when it comes to making a change between the pipes sooner rather than later.

Which Teams Could Acquire Skinner?

Skinner has actually been decent this season, keeping his stats solid and doing better with high-danger chances against, but he has yet to take a step forward that establishes him as an elite goaltender, and one that a contender like the Oilers can trust to take them on another deep playoff run. It’s hard to ignore his track record, which included helping the Oilers make it to the Stanley Cup Finals for two straight seasons, but their inability to get the job done makes their situation an intriguing one.

If the Oilers truly are looking at moving Skinner, there will be some interest around the league, but it’s unlikely they can get much in return for him at this point. Plus, the Oilers would have to have a goaltender lined up or coming up, so they aren’t relying on Calvin Pickard and an unready Ingram for the foreseeable future.

In all likelihood, Skinner will get packaged with other pieces to bring in another goaltender. One of the most likely scenarios for him is being traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Elvis Merzlikins, if they are willing to retain salary. The Blue Jackets’ goaltending has been their strong suit this season, though, so they may be hesitant to make any moves between the pipes until the trade deadline, if at all.

The Oilers could take a risk on a guy like Tristan Jarry from the Pittsburgh Penguins, but they are another team that may want to wait and see where they are at closer to the trade deadline before they become sellers after a hot start.

A couple of long-shot options include New York Islanders’ Ilya Sorokin and Nashville Predators’ Juuse Saros, but they would cost a fortune, and there would need to be a way around trade protection, making these deals unlikely.

Some fans have wondered about Devon Levi or Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen from the Buffalo Sabres, but if the Oilers are going to move on from Skinner and attach pieces, they need a guaranteed upgrade, and neither one of those two falls into that category.

The reality is, it will be tough to make a change between the pipes for the Oilers. It can happen, and they could figure something out, I am sure, but the way things are looking around the NHL, there isn’t a guaranteed upgrade on the market that’s worth risking losing a first-round pick for right now.

Fans will have to continue to be patient with the current tandem in Edmonton, and time will tell if the team decides to make a move or if they roll past another trade deadline without making a change in net. The one thing that has changed is that the team is being open-minded about trading Skinner, which could mean change is coming sooner rather than later, but nothing seems to be imminent at this point.

As the 2025-26 season moves along, be sure to continue following The Hockey Writers as your source for news, updates, and more from around the NHL and the hockey world.