Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner is expected to receive a contract extension soon, as the team looks to retain him amid mixed postseason results. Analyst Zach Laing has forecasted the potential terms of Skinner’s future with the Oilers, projecting a long-term deal to keep the 26-year-old in Edmonton.
Forecast for Stuart Skinner’s Contract Extension with Edmonton
Following two consecutive Stanley Cup Final losses, Skinner’s performance, particularly in the 2024-25 playoffs, raised questions. His goals-against average increased to 2.99 and his save percentage dropped to .889 across 15 playoff games, compared to a 2.45 GAA and .901 save percentage in the previous postseason. In the most recent Stanley Cup Final, Skinner and fellow goaltender Calvin Pickard were outperformed by Florida Panthers’ Sergei Bobrovsky, leading to a six-game series loss for Edmonton.
Skinner currently has one year left on his three-year contract worth $7.8 million and is set to become a free agent in July 2026. Despite this, Laing projects the Oilers will extend Skinner with a five-year contract carrying an average annual cap hit of $6.817 million. This projection aligns with a model from Evolving Hockey, which estimates there is a 22 percent likelihood of such a deal occurring.
So what would a realistic contract extension look like for Skinner? According to Evolving Hockey, there’s a wide range of outcomes,
Laing wrote.
The predicted, or most likely deal is a five-year extension carrying a $6.817-million cap hit — something Evolving Hockey projects to have a 22 percent chance of happening.
—Zach Laing, Analyst
Management and Coaching Staff Express Confidence in Oilers’ Goaltenders
Despite the recent decline in Skinner’s postseason statistics, Edmonton Oilers General Manager Stan Bowman publicly supported his goaltending duo when reviewing the team’s overall playoff performance. Bowman emphasized that, during most of the playoff rounds, the Oilers’ goaltending outperformed their opponents.
Just this playoff run is a perfect example,
Bowman stated.
In three of the four rounds, we had better goaltending than our opponent. You look at (Los Angeles Kings’ Darcy) Kuemper, (Vegas Golden Knights goalie) Adin Hill, and (Dallas Stars’ Jake) Oettinger, our goalies were better than theirs in each of those series. I think that’s the reason we went to the final.
—Stan Bowman, Edmonton Oilers GM
Head coach Kris Knoblauch also demonstrated trust in Skinner by starting him in the critical Game 6 against the Panthers, despite the team’s eventual loss. Skinner conceded three goals on 23 shots in that final match of the 2024-25 season, concluding their campaign.
The anticipated contract extension signals the Oilers’ intention to secure stability in net for the coming years, likely influencing their competitive plans as Skinner approaches the prime of his career. With a significant portion of the season ahead, this move could cement Skinner’s role as a foundational player in Edmonton’s lineup.