Oilers Make Coaching Change Due to Fatal Flaw

Throughout the Edmonton Oilers' back-to-back trips to the Stanley Cup Finals, which both ended in losses to the Florida Panthers, their major flaw has been on full display.

That flaw, of course, would be their goaltending. Stuart Skinner has been very hot-and-cold throughout his career, finishing the 2025 postseason with a .889 save percentage and 2.99 goals against average in 15 starts. Backup Calvin Pickard, who started seven games and appeared in 10 throughout the playoffs, posted similar numbers with a .886 save percentage and 2.85 goals against average.

While the Oilers didn't make any changes in net, they are still addressing the issue in some way.

On Monday, the Oilers announced the hire of Peter Aubry as their new goaltending coach. Aubry, 48, spent the past two years as an associate coach at Nebraska-Omaha and eight years before that as a developmental goalie coach with the Rockford IceHogs, the Chicago Blackhawks' AHL affiliate.

Aubry replaces Dustin Schwartz, who had been Edmonton's goaltending coach for over a decade.

"It was a very, very difficult decision to make that change, but in the organization, we're always looking at ways that we can get better," head coach Kris Knoblauch told reporters. "We're looking for ways to push our goaltenders and make them better. There's times where they're exceptional. There's other times where we were wanting a little bit more from them."

"With Peter, he'll be able to push those guys and bring a different perspective and hopefully, elevate them to get those guys to play at their best more often."

Skinner, 27, is clearly capable of succeeding in the postseason. In eight appearances during the second round against the Vegas Golden Knights and the Western Conference Final against the Dallas Stars, he allowed one goal or fewer five times. If he continued to play like that in the Stanley Cup Final, the Oilers might've brought the Stanley Cup back home to Canada.

As Knoblauch said, however, it's all about consistency, and Skinner's volatility has been a major weakness for him and the team. If Aubry can help him in that department, it would greatly benefit the Oilers as a whole.

That's not the only coaching change the Oilers made on Monday, though. They also announced that Paul McFarland would join as an assistant coach, replacing Glen Gulutzan after he left to become head coach of the Stars, and Conor Allen as a skills coach. Additionally, Hall of Famer Paul Coffey, who had been an assistant coach for the past few years, would return to a more hands-off role as special advisor to ownership and hockey operations.