The Edmonton Oilers enter the 2025-26 season carrying the weight of two consecutive Stanley Cup Finals defeats to the Florida Panthers. The sting of falling short twice in a row has left the organization and its fanbase demanding answers and improvements.
Most of those questions center around one position that became a lightning rod during their championship runs.
Why Didn’t Stuart Skinner Make EA Sports’ Top 10 Goalies List?
Stuart Skinner’s absence from EA Sports’ list of Top 10 Goalies tells the story of Edmonton’s postseason struggles better than any statistic. While Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets claimed the top spot and Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning took second, Skinner found himself on the outside looking in. Even Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, who outdueled Skinner in two Finals series, earned a spot among the top five.
The snub sparked predictable reactions from Oilers Nation. An Oilers fan account on X, @oilersdailyy, commented on the situation: “Skinner snubbed yet again smh.” However, their defense was met with mockery and sarcasm from other social media users, who bluntly stated that Skinner did not belong on the list.
The criticism isn’t entirely unfair. Skinner’s playoff journey in 2025 started as a disaster against the Los Angeles Kings in April. His struggles were so pronounced that he lost his starting role entirely. “He stopped just 46 of 58 shots (via Natural Stat Trick) in the first two games, and didn’t see the net again until Game 3 of the series against the Vegas Golden Knights on May 10.”, wrote Allan Mitchell for The Athletic in May 2025.
Can Skinner Bounce Back Under New Goaltending Coach Peter Aubry?
But here’s what makes Skinner’s story compelling: his ability to recover from rock bottom. Following that early-season collapse, the 26-year-old goaltender transformed his game during Edmonton’s deeper playoff run. His save percentage told the story of gradual improvement, climbing from 0.838 against the Kings to 0.941 against the Vegas Golden Knights, and reaching 0.924 against the Dallas Stars.
Rather than pursuing a major goaltending change, the Oilers organization intends to add depth to their goaltending while keeping Skinner as their starter. The team has shown faith in their netminder by bringing in Peter Aubry as the new goaltending coach, hoping his expertise can help Skinner take the next step in his development.
This approach represents a calculated risk for Edmonton. The franchise clearly believes Skinner’s playoff resurgence wasn’t a fluke, but rather evidence of his potential when properly supported. The question that will define the Oilers’ 2025-26 campaign is whether that growth can continue against the sport’s biggest stage.
The EA Sports snub might sting now, but it could motivate a goaltender who has already proven he can rise from adversity. If Skinner can build on his late-playoff success and avoid the early-season struggles that defined his 2025 campaign, both he and the Oilers might find themselves in a very different position when next year’s rankings are released.