Stuart Skinner was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday by the Edmonton Oilers for Tristan Jarry in a swap of goalies.
Pittsburgh also received defenseman Brett Kulak and a second-round pick in the 2029 NHL Draft. Edmonton received forward Samuel Poulin, who is currently in the American Hockey League.
“I think it’s not so much a comment on Stuart Skinner, it’s just really maybe time for something different here,” Oilers general manager Stan Bowman said. “But I think we wanted to make sure that the person we were bringing in, we felt confident."
Skinner is 11-8-4 with a 2.83 goals-against average, .891 save percentage and two shutouts in 23 games this season. He made 27 saves in a 4-1 win against the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday. He was 3-1-0 in his past four starts.
The 27-year-old was selected by Edmonton in the third round (No. 78) of the 2017 NHL Draft and is 109-62-18 with a 2.74 GAA, .904 save percentage and nine shutouts in 197 regular-season games (191 starts) and 26-22 with a 2.88 GAA, .893 save percentage and four shutouts in 50 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
He helped Edmonton advance to the Stanley Cup Final each of the past two years where they lost to the Florida Panthers, in seven games in 2024 and in six games last season.
Skinner is in the final season of a three-year, $7.8 million contract ($2.6 million AAV) he signed with Edmonton on Dec. 19, 2022, and can become an unrestricted free agent after the season.
Edmonton (14-11-6) is fourth in the Pacific Division and has allowed 3.39 goals-per game this season, seventh-worst in the NHL.
Jarry, 30, is 9-3-1 with a 2.66 GAA, .909 save percentage and one shutout in 14 games (13 starts) this season. Selected by Pittsburgh in the second round (No. 44) of the 2013 NHL Draft, he is 161-100-32 with a 2.74 GAA, .909 save percentage and 22 shutouts in 307 regular-season games (294 starts) and 2-6 with a 3.00 GAA and .891 save percentage in eight playoff games.
He allowed four goals on 29 shots in a 4-2 home loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday, and will join the Oilers for their game in Toronto on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; CBC, SNO, SNP).
“Yeah, well we’ve done a lot of work on this position, obviously it gets a lot of attention,” Bowman said. “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. 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.”
He is in the third season of a five-year, $26.875 million contract ($5.375 million average annual value) he signed with Pittsburgh on July 1, 2023, and can become a UFA after the 2027-28 season.
Pittsburgh (14-8-7) is fifth in the Metropolitan Division. They host the San Jose Sharks on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET; SN-PIT, NBCSCA, SN1, SN)
Kulak has two assists in 31 games this season. Selected by the Calgary Flames in the fourth round (No. 105) of the 2012 NHL Draft, the 31-year-old has 127 points (28 goals, 99 assists) in 611 regular-season games for the Flames, Montreal Canadiens and Oilers and 24 points (three goals, 21 assists) in 98 playoff games.
“We certainly weren’t trying to trade Brett Kulak,” Bowman said. “He’s a great person and a great player on our team. We’re going to miss him. But in order to make the transaction work and the money going back and forth, that had to be part of it.”
Poulin has no points in two games with the Penguins this season and has two assists in 15 NHL games over four seasons with them. He has 20 points (nine goals, 11 assists) in 22 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League. He will be assigned to Bakersfield of the AHL.
In another trade, the Oilers acquired defenseman Spencer Stastney from the Nashville Predators in exchange for Edmonton’s third-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft.
Stastney, 25, has nine points (one goal, eight assists) in 30 games for Nashville this season.
