Oilers Goaltender Stuart Skinner Cut From Projected Team Canada Roster

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Liam McCormick
November 2, 2024 (8:10 PM)

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Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner has continued his career-long issue of consistency so far this season, and it may cost him the chance to represent his country.

Daily Faceoff revealed their projected Team Canada Roster today for the upcoming Four Nations Faceoff, and Stuart Skinner has now fallen off the roster. For now, Canada's goalies are expected to be Adin Hill, Jordan Binnington, and Logan Thompson.

Stuart Skinner is definitely in the high end of Canadian goaltenders, and he even took the Edmonton Oilers to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final last season. Daily Faceoff pointed to the lack of consistency from Skinner that may cause Canada to name another netminder.

Even though Skinner took the Oilers to the Cup Final, there was a time in the Canucks series where he lost the net to Calvin Pickard. He won the Oilers faith back in later series, but beginning this season again with a few tough games, it quickly reminds fans that Skinner sometimes just doesn't have his game. His save percentage last year dropped 9 points from the year before, and so far this year, Skinner's save percentage is a brutal .872.

Recently, NHL goalie analyst Steve Valiquette revealed that Skinner is the worst goaltender in the league at lateral movement. If that data is public knowledge now, other teams will be trying to exploit it. Some Oilers fans have called for the team to roll with more even starts between Skinner and Pickard as the former sorts out his game this year.

Although Skinner has the valid criticism of consistency, that also means there are stretches where he is absolutely a quality goaltender. Skinner has the ability to win the Oilers games just by being an average goaltender, and he needs to find that rhythm once again. Once he does, Team Canada may regret passing him up if they see him take the Oilers to a Stanley Cup victory.