Oilers trade Skinner for Jarry because it was time ‘for something different’

EDMONTON -- The Edmonton Oilers had pondered a change in goal for some time, and on Friday, they made it happen.

The Oilers on Friday acquired Tristan Jarry from the Pittsburgh Penguins in a trade for Stuart Skinner, the goalie who helped get them to the past two Stanley Cup Finals. Edmonton also acquired forward Samuel Poulin, while sending defenseman Brett Kulak and a second-round pick in the 2029 NHL Draft to Pittsburgh, but the key focus for Oilers general manager Stan Bowman was in goal.

“I think it’s not so much a comment on Stuart Skinner, it’s just really maybe time for something different here,” Bowman said. “But I think we wanted to make sure that the person we were bringing in, we felt confident.”

And though the trade went down Friday, a change to Jarry was something the Oilers were thinking about for some time.

“We wanted to see how he [Jarry] started the season off and I think he’s been doing really well there in Pittsburgh,” Bowman said. “He’s a big part of the reason their team is off to such a great start, maybe surprising some people in the Eastern Conference to be as good as they’ve been.

“So watching his performance, it solidified in our mind that he’s the goalie that we’ve seen for many years. His performance over a number of years has been really good.”

Jarry is 9-3-1 in 14 games (13 starts) this season with a 2.66 goals-against average and .909 save percentage. The 30-year-old has rebounded after spending time in the American Hockey League last season. He had a 16-12-6 record in 36 games (35 starts) with a 3.12 GAA and .893 save percentage with Pittsburgh last season.

“Tristan’s had a really consistent performance as a pro up until last season, so certainly that’s something we looked into and wanted to see how he started this year,” Bowman said. “We’ve watched him very closely and have been impressed with his performance over the course of his career. I think he’s shown to be a very solid goaltender.”

Jarry made 25 saves for the Penguins in a 4-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens, while Skinner made 27 saves for the Oilers in a 4-1 win against the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday.

Jarry has a career record of 161-100-32 in 294 stars with a 2.74 goals-against average, a .909 save percentage and 22 shutouts.

“A lot of the metrics we track, he’s been very good on those for many years in a large sample size,” Bowman said. “So we just felt it was time for something different.”

Jarry played his junior hockey with the Edmonton Oil Kings of the Western Hockey League, winning a championship in 2014. He was selected by Pittsburgh in the second round (No. 44) of the 2013 NHL Draft and played 307 games with the Penguins over the course of 10 seasons.

Skinner helped Edmonton get to the Stanley Cup Final the past two seasons, losing to the Florida Panthers each time. He can become an unrestricted free agent after this season, and as the season went along it seemed less and less likely the 27-year-old would re-sign with the Oilers.

Jarry, on the other hand, is signed through the 2027-28 season, signing a five-year $26.88-million contract ($5.38 million AAV) with Pittsburgh on July 1, 2023.

“We didn’t have any negotiations yet with Stu,” Bowman said. “It was something we were going to assess as the year went on. That’s one of the things that was attractive about this deal was, not only that Tristan is signed but he’s signed -- in today’s marketplace and with the cap -- to a very manageable (NHL salary) cap number. You look at some of the recent goaltenders who signed over the past summer, Tristan’s cap hit is very manageable.

“The fact that he has two more years on his contract, so we have our goalie for the next three playoff runs, which I think is important. Knowing that he’s signed and it’s a number that we’re going to be able to manage well in our the salary cap over the next couple of seasons.

“Those factors did play a role. When you add it all up, it wasn’t just about a couple of games here or there, it was about a career sample size and the fact he’s going to be with us for three playoff runs.”

Jarry could make his Oilers debut in the first of a five-game road trip starting against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; CBC, SNO, SNP). The trip will take Jarry back to Pittsburgh on Tuesday, where Edmonton could be facing Skinner.

Jarry’s record in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with the Penguins is not as extensive as Skinner’s with the Oilers. Jarry was 2-6 record in eight playoff starts with Pittsburgh in three seasons, with a 3.00 goals against average and .891 save percentage.

Skinner was 26-22 record in 50 playoff starts over the past three seasons with a 2.88 GAA and .893 save percentage.

Bowman, however, is taking all factors into consideration.

“I think sometimes your playoff success or your record is in line with where your team is and their trajectory,” he said. “Certainly, the Oilers have been on a good trajectory the last few seasons, probably a little different than where Pittsburgh has been, so that’s part of it.”

Edmonton believes it’s still in a championship window and is looking at getting back to the Stanley Cup Final for a third consecutive season to try and finish the job. The Oilers lost in six games to the Panthers last season and in seven games in 2024 after battling back from a 3-0 deficit in the best-of-7 series.

Skinner leaves Edmonton playing some of his best hockey of the season. He had a 11-8-4 record in 23 starts with a 2.83 GAA and .891 save percentage and two shutouts this season, but was 3-1-1 in his past five starts with a 1.61 GAA and .937 save percentage.