Being a goalie in a Canadian market isn’t easy. That’s especially true if you’re Stuart Skinner.

The Edmonton Oilers netminder is enduring another season where his play has been uneven. This comes after he claimed at the beginning of the season that his goals were to win the Stanley Cup and make Canada’s Olympic team.

On Thursday, Skinner was asked some fair but pretty ruthless questions by Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal.

The first wasn’t so bad, as Matheson asked Skinner for thoughts on his play this season.

“Personally, I’ve been doing my best to show up consistently,” Skinner said. “Results will say that it hasn’t gone our way, it hasn’t been very favourable but that’s life, isn’t it?”

Then, Matheson cranked up the heat.

“The fans, every time they turn around, they want another goalie,” he said.

“They don’t want you.

“That must hurt, or does it?”

Yeesh.

Skinner handled the bold question calmly.

“That’s happened a lot here, no?” Skinner replied.

The Oilers’ starter isn’t wrong. In fact, Matheson asked former Oilers goaltender Mikko Koskinen very similar questions during season-opening media availability back in September 2021.

“It happens anywhere around the league,” Skinner said. “Goalies need to come up with big saves at big times. It’s just part of the game of being a goalie.

“I decided to choose that. I’m going to try and get my kids to be a player [instead of a goalie].”

Despite the tough question, Skinner continued to reflect positively about his experience as an NHL goalie.

“Honestly, I love it, man. It’s the best thing in the world being able to be a goalie. I’ve learned a lot about character and being able to pull yourself out of some really tough spots.”

Matheson then started asking if Skinner could fall victim to pointing the finger at teammates for making mistakes in front of him during times of frustration.

“That’s human nature,” he said. “For anybody as a human, you want to take yourself off the hook of things. That’s the easiest thing to do when times are tough is point the finger.”

“But, for our group, we’re not in the business of doing that. We’re in the business of lifting each other up.”

Matheson then circled back one more time and asked if Skinner really wanted to be here, even when fans are saying “we need a better goalie.”

“It is what it is,” Skinner said. “I can’t really control what the fans are saying.”

“We’re in the business of lifting each other up.”

Stuart Skinner on the #Oilers team outlook. @Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/X91eufmOxh

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) November 27, 2025

Matheson has responded to fans online who criticized his tough approach.

“A large segment of fans do want another goalie. What did I get wrong with that question?” he said. “Stu is ultimate stand-up guy. I like him a lot and I have been one of steadfast supporters.”

A large segment of fans do want another goalie. What did I get wrong with that question? Stu is ultimate stand-up guy. I like him a lot and I have been one of steadfast supporters https://t.co/eHPGQJEruT

— Jim Matheson (@jimmathesonnhl) November 27, 2025

Skinner’s stat line hasn’t been superb this season. He currently has an 8-7-1 record with a .878 save percentage.

However, a deeper dive suggest Skinner’s been just slightly below average. Among 69 goalies who have played at least five games this season, the 27-year-old ranks 39th with 0.06 goals-saved above expected per 60.

That has him ranked ahead of all three goalies who represented Canada at the 4 Nations tournament in February: Jordan Binnington, Sam Montembeault and Adin Hill. His goals-saved above expected per 60 is also better than other established goaltenders such as Sergei Bobrovsky, Juuse Saros and Dustin Wolf.

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