Jan 21, 2026; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Stuart Skinner (74) during the second period against the Calgary Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images Sergei Belski-Imagn Images

Penguins' Stuart Skinner Continuing to Haunt Former Team

Originally posted on Breakaway on SI | By Seth Dowdle | Last updated Jan 23, 2026 12:00 PM ET

Even when not on the ice, Stuart Skinner continues to haunt the Edmonton Oilers.

Skinner departed Edmonton as the goalie that never was. There were flashes of brilliance, with some fantastic spurts during recent playoff runs serving as the shining star, but the overall consistency just wasn’t there. In the end, the Oilers thought it best to ship him away to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Tristan Jarry, in a trade that saw both teams attempt to right the ship in the crease. Just a couple of months after that transaction, it’s the Penguins who have been the overwhelming winner.

Pittsburgh’s dominant victory over the Oilers on Jan. 22 — which included two Anthony Mantha goals in the span of 22 seconds — doesn’t even factor into the Stuart equation; he didn’t even touch the ice. All he did was watch his former teammates from afar lose to the team that wanted him instead. It had to be cathartic in a way. While Jarry, whom the Penguins didn’t want anymore, gave up goal after goal after goal, Skinner was able to soak in the fact that he was the man of the hour for the Penguins, even though he wasn’t even in the lineup.

Skinner’s Golden Season

Skinner has started just 10 games with the Penguins so far this season, yet it’s clear he has hit another level of performance unseen throughout his entire career. He is 6-4 with a 2.34 goals-against average and a .902 save percentage. Both statistics are vastly superior to what he was putting up in Edmonton, showing that sometimes all one needs is a change of environment to hit a new level.

The stellar play gets even more impressive when looking only at his past seven starts. He is 6-1 over that stretch with an outstanding .933 save percentage and an even more eye-popping 1.58 goals-against average. To say he is playing out of his mind at the moment would be an understatement. He has simply been dominant, and it has helped the Penguins reach heights they couldn’t have imagined at the beginning of the season.

The question now becomes whether Skinner can keep this up throughout the remainder of the year. With a large break approaching due to the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, which are set to kick off in February, Skinner, alongside many other NHL players, will have almost a month off. Will that set him back, or will it provide necessary rest and recuperation from what has been an emotional season? As the saying goes, only time will tell.

What is known is that Skinner, for all his doubters and naysayers, is the king of the crease in Pittsburgh. Without him, the Penguins certainly wouldn’t be as hot as they are, meaning that — at least in the short term — the trade was a smashing success.

This article first appeared on Breakaway on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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