Stuart Skinner Returns to Edmonton: A Goalie’s Journey Comes Full Circle
When Stuart Skinner steps onto the ice at Rogers Place this Thursday, it won’t just be another road game. It’ll be a homecoming - emotional, complicated, and maybe even cathartic. The Edmonton native returns not as the Oilers’ netminder chasing a Stanley Cup, but as the starting goaltender for the Pittsburgh Penguins, a team that’s quietly finding its groove with Skinner between the pipes.
Skinner came painfully close to achieving something incredibly rare in hockey: winning a Stanley Cup for his hometown team. He was right there - twice.
In back-to-back years, Skinner helped backstop the Oilers to the Final against the Florida Panthers. And in both series, he had moments that showed exactly why Edmonton put their faith in him.
But in the end, the Cup stayed out of reach, and the criticism came fast and loud.
Some of the harshest heat came from his own backyard. A vocal part of the Oilers’ fanbase pinned the team’s heartbreak on Skinner, especially after the 2025 Final, where he was pulled in Game 4 and took the loss in Game 6.
Never mind that he nearly led a historic comeback the year before, allowing just seven goals across the final four games of the 2024 series and losing a tight 2-1 decision in Game 7. Or that Connor McDavid, despite winning the Conn Smythe, was held off the scoresheet in the final two games of that same series.
Fair or not, the target landed squarely on Skinner’s back.
So how does he feel about the way he was treated?
“To give you my honest answer,” Skinner said, pausing before shifting into a more serious tone, “it doesn’t really matter if I was treated fairly or not. I don’t even care if I was treated fairly or not.”
For Skinner, it’s about the work - the job he showed up to do every night.
“I just tried to give my team a chance to win every night I was there,” he said. “That was my job. I was a goaltender in Edmonton and I absolutely did my best every day I was there.”
The trade that sent Skinner to Pittsburgh in December was one of those rare in-season goalie swaps. The Oilers sent Skinner, defenseman Brett Kulak, and a second-round pick to the Penguins in exchange for Tristan Jarry and Samuel Poulin, a former first-rounder.
Edmonton was looking for a different style of goaltending. Pittsburgh, on the other hand, was happy to offload Jarry’s salary and bring in a netminder with playoff pedigree and a chip on his shoulder.
The reaction in Edmonton? Let’s just say some fans didn’t hide their excitement about the move.
But Skinner isn’t interested in rehashing the noise. What matters now is what’s ahead - and for him, that’s helping the Penguins make a serious playoff push.
Still, Thursday’s game will mean something. The first time Skinner faced his former team came shortly after the trade - a 6-4 loss in Pittsburgh.
This one’s different. This one’s in the building where he grew up dreaming of playing.
And now he returns in enemy colors.
“It’ll be nice in a lot of ways,” Skinner said. “Just going home, seeing old teammates, going back to the building, being in that atmosphere.
I haven’t thought a ton about the emotional side of things… Maybe I will get emotional. If it happens, it happens.”
Since arriving in Pittsburgh, Skinner has started to settle in - and it shows. After a rocky start, he’s found his rhythm, and his teammates have taken notice. Defenseman Ryan Shea didn’t mince words when talking about what Skinner’s brought to the group.
“When you play in a Canadian market, people are hard on you,” Shea said. “But he brought his team to the Stanley Cup Final in two straight years. There’s something to be said for that.”
Shea also noted that Skinner’s impact has gone beyond the stat sheet.
“There have been games when we haven’t been great, we’ve been hemmed into our own zone for long periods of time,” he said. “And in those games, he’s stood tall.
This guy has been incredible for us. He’s been one of our best players ever since we got him.”
Skinner’s not just making saves - he’s making teammates feel seen. Shea added, “You make a good play in the D-zone, and you can hear him yelling at you that you did great. He’s the kind of guy that makes you feel good, that you want on your team.”
Few people understand Skinner’s journey like Brett Kulak. Like Skinner, he’s an Edmonton native who played for the Oilers during their recent Cup runs.
And like Skinner, he was part of the December trade. Kulak says the adjustment wasn’t easy, but he’s seen Skinner find his groove.
“He’s so confident right now,” Kulak said. “He’s so in control.
The last however many games, he’s been really good. It’s going to be a big part of this team’s success moving forward, the way he plays.”
Kulak also praised Skinner’s work ethic - something that’s never been in question.
“He puts in the work every single day. He really does.
When you see someone work that hard, it’s cool to see them play well, to see them get really locked in. That’s what he’s doing for us.”
The transition from Edmonton to Pittsburgh wasn’t seamless. The Penguins were scuffling in December, and integrating new players mid-season is never easy. But Skinner’s starting to look like the goalie who helped carry the Oilers on deep playoff runs - and maybe even a better version of that.
“I think I probably needed that break over Christmas,” Skinner admitted.
Now, the Penguins are surging, and Skinner’s right at the heart of it. He’s not chasing ghosts in Edmonton anymore. He’s chasing wins in Pittsburgh - and maybe, just maybe, another shot at the Cup.