Oilers GM Addresses Oilers' Goalie Situation After Stuart Skinner's Error

Edmonton Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner’s costly mistake against the Calgary Flames brought back questions about the team’s depth in net.

Oilers general manager Stan Bowman, who spoke after that loss and Edmonton’s subsequent win with Calvin Pickard in net, made it clear the organization isn’t wavering in its trust.

Speaking on Sportsnet’s “After Hours” show, following Edmonton’s 3–1 victory over Vancouver on Saturday, Bowman defended his starting goaltender and dismissed speculation that Skinner’s role was in jeopardy.

“There’s a lot of attention on Stuart in particular,” Bowman said. “He made a bad play, sure, but the first two goals — nobody’s stopping those. They were kind of fluke plays.”

Bowman’s comments came just days after Skinner’s mistake handling a puck in a seemingly safe situation allowed Calgary’s Blake Coleman to tie the game late in the third period of Edmonton’s season opener.

The Flames went on to win in a shootout, turning a 3–0 Oilers lead into a 4–3 Edmonton loss. Despite that glaring blunder, Bowman said the criticism surrounding Skinner had gone too far.

“Nobody got a shot past our goalie that night,” Bowman said, noting that the first two goals came off deflections or high sticks.

Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner (74) during a stoppage of play.Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The general manager also drew comparisons to fellow Oilers netminder Calvin Pickard, who made a similar mistake in the preseason without receiving the same backlash.

“I thought back to our second last preseason game in Seattle and a mistake that Pickard made, which wound up in a similarly ugly goal against,” Bowman said. “Nobody talked about it, right? It was basically the same type of thing, just to Calvin. This happens to every goalie a couple times a year.”

Skinner has been under heavy scrutiny since last season’s playoff run, but Bowman insisted the 25-year-old remains the team’s starter.

Pickard earned Saturday’s win against Vancouver, yet Bowman reiterated that Edmonton is not considering a change in the crease.

“We’ve played two good games so far,” he said. “If we keep playing like that, we’ll be okay.”

The Oilers next face the New York Rangers on Tuesday night, where Skinner is expected to start after sitting out Saturday’s matchup.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Oct 13, 2025, where it first appeared in the NHL section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Oilers GM Addresses Oilers’ Goalie Situation After Stuart Skinner’s Error

Tags: