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Stuart Skinner

The Ottawa Senators are interested in signing former Edmonton Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner, who is currently with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Skinner, who played with the Oilers from 2020 to 2025, was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins in December, along with Brett Kulak and a second-round pick, in an ill-fated trade for Tristan Jarry. It’s a trade the Oilers surely regret, as Jarry was terrible for his new team and is still owed a lot of money on his contract.

Meanwhile, Skinner was at least servicable for the Penguins, and even got into three playoff games for them before they were eliminated by the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round.

Now that the season is over, Skinner is slated for free agency this offseason for the first time in his NHL career. He made $2.6 million this season and will likely get a slight raise on a new deal. That could potentially be with the Senators, who are in the market for a new backup goalie to starter Linus Ullmark.

Ottawa Senators Interested in Stuart Skinner

According to the Ottawa Citizen, the Senators are in the market for a new backup goalie for Ullmark, after using four other goalies as the team’s backup last season, including graybeard James Reimer and prospect Leevi Merilainen, who did not perform well with the team.

It makes a lot of sense that the Oilers would be in the market for a new backup goalie to take the load off Ullmark. Although Ullmark is the team’s starter, he is someone who works better as the 1A goalie in a tandem with a 1B goalie, as he typically plays around 40 to 49 games per season. Stuart is someone who has averaged around 50 games played during his NHL career, but will likely play fewer on his next contract after he mostly struggled this past season.

This year, Skinner was 23-17-9 with a 2.92 GAA and a .888 SV% between the Oilers and the Penguins. But his career numbers are much better, as he’s 218-121-71 with a 2.77 GAA and a .902 GAA overall in his six-year NHL career, which are solid numbers, especially for a backup or tandem goaltender.

Salary Cap Considerations for Senators

Ullmark makes $8.25 million on his contract, which is a bit heavy for someone who doesn’t play 50 to 60 games a year like the top NHL starting goalies. But he would likely do well in tandem with Skinner, though the pair might come in around a $12 million cap hit for both, which is pricey for an NHL goaltending tandem. Still, if the Senators think Skinner is a difference maker, perhaps they would be okay with spending that much of their cap on goaltending, especially since the NHL salary cap is rising to $104 million next year and will continue to rise as the years go on.

The Senators are a team on the rise in the NHL, but with better goaltending, the team could go further in the playoffs. Stuart isn’t a No. 1 starter, but he fits in well as a 1B behind Ullmark, so don’t be surprised if the Senators sign the longtime Oilers starter this offseason.