NHL analyst gets honest on Edmonton Oilers' goalie search, defends Stuart Skinner

Many thought that after coming up just short of the Stanley Cup last season, the Edmonton Oilers would replace their goaltenders, but it seems they are sticking to Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard. After their second straight Stanley Cup Finals loss to the Florida Panthers, primary goalie Skinner faced questions about being good enough to win a Stanley Cup.

But, NHL insider Jason Gregor said Skinner is better than people think and that the team shouldn’t rush into major changes.

“They went 12 and 2, and they walloped Dallas and Vegas, two really good teams,” he said via SportsNet.

Gregor also compared Skinner to Jake Oettinger. He said:

“Stu Skinner two years in a row was infinitely better than Jake Oettinger.”

That’s important since Oettinger is known as a strong playoff goalie.

In the Finals, Florida’s Sergei Bobrovsky outplayed Skinner. Gregor said Florida had the better goalie, but he doesn’t blame Skinner for the loss. Instead, he said a goalie coach change might help.

“Sometimes a new voice could help,” he said.

Gregor also said the goalie market doesn’t offer many good options and used Jake Allen as an example.

“Everybody saw the rumors, ‘Oh, Jake Allen’s going to get 5 million.’ He signed for 1.8,” he said.

He also said Skinner didn’t give up weak goals and spoke about how rare his experience is.

“He just didn't make the big save," Gregor said. "There's only seven goalies in the NHL who are younger than Skinner and played more than 20 games last year, seven, and those guys have a combined three playoff games. Skinner has 50"

Skinner was the Oilers’ main goalie last season. He had a 26-18-4 record in the regular season. His goals-against average was 2.81, and his save percentage was .896. He had three shutouts and was tied for 18th in wins.

In the playoffs, Skinner played 15 games and went 7-7. He had a 3.00 goals-against average and a .889 save percentage. He also had three shutouts, including back-to-back against Vegas. He played well in the second and third rounds.

His performance dropped in the Stanley Cup Finals. He gave up five or more goals in three games.

Oilers facing doubts after offseason changes, Martin Biron questioned their goaltending

Meanwhile, Edmonton's offseason has raised concerns, with NHL insider Martin Biron questioning if they’ve improved. The team lost Corey Perry, Viktor Arvidsson, Connor Brown and Evander Kane. They replaced them with Andrew Mangiapane and Curtis Lazar.

“Is the Edmonton Oilers a better team now?," Biron questioned and said, "They’re not.”

Additionally, he also mentioned the Oilers' goalie situation.

“They did not address their goaltending," Biron said.

The Oilers have lost two straight Stanley Cup finals. Biron wondered how long the Oilers’ stars would stay patient if the team kept falling short.