Winnipeg Jets goalie Stuart Skinner has a fantastic opportunity.
Skinner, who has played in the NHL for approximately five years with the Edmonton Oilers, and 27 games last year with the Pittsburgh Penguins, signed back on July 1st as an unrestricted free agent a two-year, 7.5 million contract with the Jets, who, of course, had three-time Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck in goal.
As hockey fans know, this summer, Hellebuyck shocked Jets fans when the franchise leader in wins, demanded a trade and did not show up to Jets training camp, which of course opens the door wide open at the moment for Skinner to show at camp that he is indeed a solid number one goalie who can get the job done.
Stuart Skinner Looking To Prove That He Can Be A Reliable Starting Goalie
While Skinner, who is 27 years-old, has had flashes of strong play in his career, and has heard the hometown Oilers and Pens fans affectionately chanting “Stuuuu” after a big save, the knock on him are the bouts of wildly inconsistent play. The inconsistency is what eventually led to the Oilers last December trading him to the Penguins.
As a Penguin, Skinner once again showed flashes of great play as he went 12-9-5 with a 2.99 GAA and an .885 save percentage.
Unfortunately for Skinner, that inconsistency crept up as he struggled mightily in the Penguins first round playoff series against the Philadelphia Flyers, where he allowed nine goals in the series first three games as he went 0-3 with a 3.08 GAA and an ugly .873 save percentage before losing the net to backup Arturs Silovs.
Now, with Hellebuyck out of the picture, another opportunity has presented itself for Skinner to make that lasting impression at Jets training camp in proving that he can be a solid number one NHL goalie.
Jets Suspend Hellebuyck For Not Showing Up To Training Camp
Looking to rebound from a non-playoff season, this was the absolute last thing Winnipeg needed.
When the Jets on Wednesday, September 16th opened training camp, Hellebuyck was absent which led to the team suspending him.
“There’s probably lots of whys, and unfortunately, this situation is what it is,” Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said. “We’ve been dealing with it for a period of time now, and just looking to find a resolution that works for both sides. But certainly for the players and the fans of the Winnipeg Jets.”
Hellebuyck, who is 33 years-old, finished last year with a 23-23-11 record, 2.86 GAA and a .895 save percentage.
Heading into the season, he is two-years into a US $69.5 million dollar seven year extension he agreed to back in October 2023.
Rumors have linked the veteran goalie to trade rumours with the Buffalo Sabres, Florida Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes, New Jersey Devils and Utah Mammoth.
Not surprisingly, Hellebuyck holding out and wanting to be traded has had a negative effect among the Jets players.
“As a player, all you can do is kind of deal with what’s in front of you. Obviously, the news is heartbreaking being a teammate of his for so long,” Jets forward Kyle Connor said. “It’s tough, it feels like we had such a special group here and for whatever reason, I can’t speak to the reason until we hear from the man. I’m not going to speculate on what it is, but I know that a lot of guys in that room that are heartbroken.”
Skinner Was An All-Star
Skinner, drafted in 2017, 78th overall by the Oilers showed his potential during the first two years of his career where starting in the 2022-23 season, he definitely made an impression when in his first full season with the Oilers he went an impressive 29-14-5 with one shutout along with a 2.73 GAA and 0.914 save percentage.
That year, which saw Skinner play 50 games saw him named to play in the 2023 NHL All-Star Game and also landed a spot on the 2023 NHL All-Rookie Team.
It was truly a historical season for Skinner who set an Oilers franchise record for most wins by a rookie with the 29. He also became only the second Oilers rookie goalie since Hall of Famer Grant Fuhr to play in the All-Star Game.
During Skinner’s sophomore season, he went 36-16-5 with two shutouts, 2.62 GAA and a 0.905 save percentage.
This shows that Skinner can be a liable NHL starting goaltender if he can only find a way to be more consistent. Afterall, he did play a major factor in leading the Oilers to the 2024 and 2025 Stanley Cup Finals where they lost both times against the Panthers.
Now the door is wide open for him to become the Jets number one goalie.
Main Image: James Guillory-Imagn Images
