Oilers 'inquired' about $66,000,000 Bruins goalie after Stuart Skinner's performance dip, reveals insider

The Edmonton Oilers punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final for the second straight year on Thursday night.

An impressive 6-3 Game 5 win in Dallas completed a Western Conference Finals series victory over the Stars.

Their reward is a rematch against the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, who broke their heart in Game 7 one year ago. Edmonton is poised to get its revenge this time around, with an even stronger-looking team that's gone 12-2 in their last 14 playoff games.

A huge reason for their recent success has been the resurgent play of goaltender Stuart Skinner. However, we can't forget that there were several points throughout the regular and postseason where many believed the writing was on the wall for Skinner because of his inconsistent play.

A recent report suggests the Oilers were a bit worried themselves. NHL insider David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period mentioned in his latest article that Edmonton kicked the tires on acquiring Bruins star goalie Jeremy Swayman in a trade earlier in the year. He shared the link to the piece in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

"Edmonton inquired about Jeremy Swayman this season, well after he signed his deal with Boston, but with how much Stuart Skinner gets criticized, Stu seems to be doing fine in net for the Oilers," Pagnotta wrote.

Jeremy Swayman has seven years remaining on the eight-year, $66,000,000 contract extension he signed with Boston just prior to the start of the season. Meanwhile, Stuart Skinner has one more season left on his three-year, $7,800,000 contract extension with Edmonton signed in 2022.

The Oilers have full confidence in Stuart Skinner

Despite all of the ups and downs, the Edmonton Oilers and their management have always had belief in Stuart Skinner.

General manager Stan Bowman reiterated that all season long, and it's now paying off at the most important time of the year.

Despite his terrible first two games against the LA Kings, the 26-year-old has managed to put up a 6-4-0 record, with a 2.53 goals-against average, a .904 save percentage, and three shutouts in these playoffs. One of the better bounce-back runs you'll see from a goaltender.

Skinner will look to keep the good times rolling when the Oilers host the Florida Panthers in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday, June 4, in Edmonton. The puck drops at 8 p.m. EST at Rogers Place.