Top Oilers Analyst Warns Team Of Repeating Past Mistake With Stuart Skinner

Thursday, October 23, 2025 ,

Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner makes a save during 2025 game.

The Edmonton Oilers have been here before. 

Team voice Bob Stauffer cautioned that moving on from Stuart Skinner too quickly would mirror the Devan Dubnyk misread a decade ago, when Edmonton sold low only to watch Dubnyk thrive elsewhere. 

Stauffer’s message is that Skinner is 26, trending quicker and lighter under a new goalie coach, and deserves a true runway to show he can be the long-term answer.

Does Stuart Skinner deserves runway in Edmonton? 

Skinner was thrust into a starter’s role during a playoff push that was supposed to belong to Jack Campbell. 

Even with playoff stumbles, Skinner’s body of work compares favorably to Dubnyk’s at a similar stage, and his technical focus remains clear to improve the glove, tighten puck handling, and lean into the gains from a new voice in the crease.

Lessons from Devan Dubnyk’s Oilers exit
 Dubnyk left the Oilers, found structure with the Minnesota Wild, and posted better numbers than he ever did in Edmonton. 

The lesson is not to cling blindly but to assess the environment you provide, Stauffer says. If Skinner stabilizes behind a committed defensive plan, Edmonton’s search for external saviors becomes unnecessary. 

If he does not, the organization will still have a full season of data to make a reasoned decision. The mistake would be rushing the judgment and recreating the Dubnyk regret, Stauffer argues.

Photo Credit: Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images

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