The Winnipeg Jets made one of the day’s more eye-catching moves on the opening day of NHL free agency, landing goaltender Stuart Skinner on a two-year contract Wednesday.
The deal comes with an average annual value of $3.75 million and runs through the 2027-28 season.
“STUUUUUUU 🗣️ We have signed goaltender Stuart Skinner to a two-year contract”
Skinner’s arrival immediately raises eyebrows in Manitoba because of all the uncertainty surrounding Connor Hellebuyck. The three-time Vezina Trophy winner has not formally requested a trade, but his name has been circulating in rumors in recent weeks after a disappointing 2025-26 season.
If Hellebuyck is eventually moved, Winnipeg now has a proven option in place. And even if he stays, Skinner gives the Jets a legitimate 1B in net, something Hellebuyck has never really had in Winnipeg.
Skinner had just reached the end of the three-year extension he signed with the Edmonton Oilers in December 2022, a deal that carried a $2.6 million AAV. Since then, the Edmonton native has been one of the NHL’s most closely watched goalies, with plenty of criticism attached to his regular-season work and plenty of attention on what happened when the games got bigger.
That postseason résumé is what kept him in the conversation. Skinner helped push Edmonton to back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances, including Game 7 in 2024, though the Oilers fell short both times against the Florida Panthers.
His latest stop came after a slow start to this past season, when Oilers general manager Stan Bowman decided to make a change and traded Skinner to the Pittsburgh Penguins, with Tristan Jarry going back in the deal. Skinner was solid, if not spectacular, in Pittsburgh, going 12-9-5 with a 2.99 goals-against average and a .885 save percentage. He helped the Penguins finish second in the Metropolitan Division, but his postseason went sideways as Pittsburgh dropped all three of his starts and was eliminated by the Philadelphia Flyers.
For the season, Skinner finished with a 23-17-9 record, a 2.92 GAA, a .888 save percentage and two shutouts.
Across 224 games over six NHL seasons, Skinner owns a career mark of 121-71-23 with a 2.77 GAA, a .902 save percentage and nine shutouts. In the postseason, he is 26-25 with a 2.89 GAA, a .892 save percentage and four shutouts.
In Other News...
Senators May Be Eyeing A Division Swing Fans Will Debate
The Senators are being linked to a familiar name with a strong local tie, as Ottawa reportedly has interest in Buffalo forward Jack Quinn. The Ottawa native and former 67s standout has become a plausible trade candidate for the Sabres, and his profile makes sense for a Senators team still looking to add more finishing skill up front.
Quinn is entering the final year of his contract and is expected to head toward restricted free agency next season, which gives this idea a timing edge as Buffalo weighs its next move. Any deal would also have to satisfy the Sabres need to keep building on the blue line, with a prospect such as Logan Hensler potentially part of the conversation, setting up the kind of swap that could spark plenty of debate in Ottawa. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Make Two More Moves That Reignite A Familiar Debate
The Senators added a little more clarity to their roster picture with two more moves, bringing goalie Samuel Ersson back on a two-year deal and extending Nick Cousins for two more seasons. Both were the sort of depth decisions that matter in a long NHL season, especially for a team trying to stabilize its supporting cast while keeping options open around the edges of the lineup.
For Ottawa, the moves also reopen a familiar debate about how much value the club wants to place on familiarity versus upside in its lower-cost bets. Ersson had already been in the organization before briefly reaching free agency, while Cousins remains the kind of veteran depth piece who can be useful in a specific role. The question now is whether the Senators are simply filling out the roster or locking in pieces that will shape how they manage the rest of the summer. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Suddenly Have A Toronto Scoring Target Worth Debating
After adding William Eklund and Andre Burakovsky, the Senators still look like a club that could use one more swing on the wing, especially if they want to keep reshaping the forward group around more skill. That is why Matias Maccelli has surfaced as a name worth watching in Ottawa circles. The Maple Leafs forward has put himself back on the radar after a productive season in Toronto, and his profile is the kind that can tempt teams looking for a playmaker who might fit into a more defined role.
For Ottawa, the appeal is less about splash and more about fit. Maccellis game suggests a player who could help the Senators in the middle of the lineup and add another layer of puck movement to a forward corps that still has room for more creativity. Whether he ends up as a middle-six option or pushes higher in the pecking order, he gives the Senators a legitimate discussion point as they sort through the rest of their offseason shopping list. [Read more 🡒]