Skinner happy he can start Penguins career against Oilers, former teammates

CRANBERRY, Pa. -- Stuart Skinner knows he’s stepped right into something borderline absurd.

The goalie took the ice for a morning skate Tuesday, finally joining the Pittsburgh Penguins after being traded from the Edmonton Oilers on Friday. Immigration issues kept him from a weekend of back-to-back games.

Skinner looked the part. Black jersey, black shorts with gold trim, white pads with another line of gold.

Then, there was the helmet: Orange and blue with a prominent Oilers logo.

Skinner will wear it in his first Penguins start, which just happens to be against Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and the rest of his former Oilers teammates at PPG Paints Arena on Tuesday (7:30 p.m. ET; HBO MAX, truTV, TNT, SNW, SNO, SNE).

“It’s funny,” Skinner said. “We’re ripping off the Band-Aid right away, which is good, thinking about it. I think I’d rather it be like this and just kind of get it over with, but also to enjoy it too.”

Skinner was acquired along with defenseman Brett Kulak and a second-round pick in the 2029 NHL Draft. Edmonton received goalie Tristan Jarry, who will also face his former team for the first time, and forward Samuel Poulin.

“I get to play my old teammates, and me and Brett get to do it together,” Skinner said. “I think that's nothing but exciting.”

Skinner was 109-62-18 with a 2.74 goals-against average and .904 save percentage in 197 games (191 starts) during six seasons since being selected by the Oilers in the third round (No. 78) in the 2017 NHL Draft. He helped them reach the Stanley Cup Final the past two seasons, but the Oilers lost to the Florida Panthers each time.

Edmonton (15-12-6) decided Jarry could be the missing piece to winning an elusive championship.

Skinner, who is 11-8-4 with a 2.83 GAA and .891 save percentage in 23 games this season, knew a trade was possible. There had been rumors for roughly five years, he said.

"There's a lot of noise, obviously,” Skinner said. “So, noise is around goalies. ... I don't know if it's fair or not fair. I think it's just part of the business. It's a trade that needed to be done and I think it's good for both teams.

“I care more about where my work is and being able to be on a new team in this exciting moment. So I'm not really thinking about if it's fair or not to me. It's part of my life and I get to own that, you know?"

The 27-year-old is confident he did all he could for the Oilers.

“There's not a moment that I didn't try to do my best in Edmonton, so I don't have any regrets,” he said. “The way that I handled things, perseverance, strength, kind of go down the list of what I tried to do for the organization and, more so, just my teammates and my coaches and management. So for me, I'm very proud of what I was able to do down there.

“Could I have made an extra save or two? Absolutely. I'll probably say that here. That's kind of part of being a goalie and being a person. You keep on growing, you keep on learning, but I always did my best and I will never stop doing my best."

The Penguins (14-8-9), eyeing a return to the playoffs after missing the past three seasons, could use that attitude.

A positive start has been somewhat dampened lately. Pittsburgh has led in four of five straight losses (0-1-4). It was up 5-1 before losing 6-5 in overtime to the San Jose Sharks on Saturday and 3-0 in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Utah Mammoth the next day.

Still, to Skinner, the goal is the same as it was with the Oilers.

"There's a lot of hunger between this group that we want to go back (to the Stanley Cup Final) and I know that guys here have done it,” Skinner said. “So, for me and Brett coming in here and getting a taste of it, I think, brings some energy. Let's go do this again, you know? Let's go win this thing.”

After playing behind McDavid and Draisaitl, Skinner joins a team headlined by Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, a core that led the Penguins to championships in 2009, 2016 and 2017.

“I'm very fortunate that I've been able to play with such amazing players, players that are going to be remembered in the game forever,” Skinner said. “So it's pretty cool for me. It's a unique standpoint for me that I just get to watch them do their thing and really get to learn from everybody. I learned lots, obviously, from being around those guys in Edmonton. And I get to do the same with everybody in this room.”

Kulak shares that outlook. But it's easier to get acclimated with Skinner around.

“Just makes everything a little more comfortable,” Kulak said, “whether it’s finding out your route to the rink or finding your way around the rink. It’s nice coming over with a guy you already know because, besides him, everyone is new to me in the dressing room.”

The change, although sudden, isn't unwelcome. And on Skinner's end, there's only appreciation.

“For me, just the gratitude of being able to be in the NHL,” he said. “And I get traded, again, to another organization, get to go through all the things that I get to go through with my family, looking for a house and cars and all this fun stuff. I mean, it's busy.

“But that sounds like a really lucky man to me.”