Stuart Skinner joins new union, insider reveals his salary demands

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Liam McCormick
August 6, 2024 (4:15 PM)

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Stuart Skinner took a major step this season in proving himself as an elite starting goalie in the NHL, and now he's backing it up by changing his representation.

A few days ago, Skinner parted ways with his former agent JP Barry to join Ray Petkau, an agent who is specializing in representing goalies. On a post announcing Skinner joining the group, Petkau actually mentioned a goalie union. Now, an Oilers insider has commented on their expected salary demands.

»The good news for Oilers fans is that Petkau doesn't have a reputation of «grinding the team for every last dime,» I was told via text from a source in the goalie fraternity.»
- Jason Gregor

Petkau represents six other active NHL goaltenders at the moment, including Connor Hellebuyck, Laurent Brossoit, James Reimer, and Eric Comrie. Many of those goalies are on fair contracts, and the agent seems to have a decent reputation, which is positive news for Oilers fans.

Skinner is currently heading into the second year of a three year contract making only $2.6M. After playing 59 regular season games and 23 playoff games this year, Skinner's earned a major raise on his next contract. Although he's stumbled at times, his regular season and playoff save percentage came just around league average. He's also proven that he can lock in and perform on the biggest stage, which is valuable when it comes to contract talks.

This offseason the Oilers need to sign Leon Draisaitl, but next offseason will be much bigger with Connor McDavid, Evan Bouchard, and Stuart Skinner due for contract extensions. Stan Bowman will have his work cut out for him to retain all the talent on the roster, make valuable additions, and reach the core's full potential of winning multiple Stanley Cups.

Source: OilersNation

Skinner's agent has positive reputation in negotiations