Skinner and Kulak Excited for Opportunity with Penguins

On Tuesday morning, Stuart Skinner and Brett Kulak took the ice with their new Penguins teammates for the first time at morning skate ahead of their debuts, which will come against their former team, Edmonton.

The two clubs completed the trade on Friday, with Pittsburgh acquiring the two players and a 2029 second-round draft pick from the Oilers in exchange for goaltender Tristan Jarry and forward Sam Poulin.

“It's funny. We're ripping off the Band-Aid right away, which is good,” Skinner said with a laugh. “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. I get to play my old teammates, and me and Brett get to do it together, and I think that's nothing but exciting.”

Oilers GM Stan Bowman called Skinner and Kulak early in the morning to let them know the trade was coming.

“Alberta time, I think it was like 7:15 (AM) I got a call,” Kulak said. “I was still sleeping at the time because we played the night before. I saw my phone at like 7:30 or something and saw I had a missed call. When the GM is calling at that time in the morning, I figured it was pretty important.”

Each player talked with him before hearing from Penguins President of Hockey Operations and GM Kyle Dubas.

“It was an awesome conversation,” Skinner said. “I got the whole laydown on what's going on, getting the visas, travel and all that stuff. So, yeah, it was really smooth.”

As both Skinner and Kulak grew up in Edmonton and had only played for Canadian teams throughout their careers, they had to go through an immigration process, which is why they weren’t cleared to play until today. The silver lining is that they had a few days to get settled in.

“The team here and the organization has done nothing but give us the easiest time with our travels, with the place that we're set up in, and how they've been treating our family,” Skinner said. “It’s been, to be honest, very, very impressive. We're very fortunate and very grateful just to be in Pittsburgh, but also just how they've been treating us to start. We're very grateful as a family.”

Skinner, who was drafted by his hometown team in the third round (78^th overall) of the 2017 NHL Draft, brings 197 games of NHL experience and 50 more in the playoffs. While the start of the season was challenging for Skinner, he left Edmonton on a high note with three wins, .937 save percentage, and a 1.61 goals-against average in his last five games.

“I think obviously ups and downs, life of a goalie,” Skinner said on evaluating his season thus far. “But I think for the most part, I've been finding my game and finding that consistency, and I just got to keep on doing that.”

For the 27-year-old netminder, he not only views this opportunity as a fresh start, but also a chance to keep building.

“As of right now, it’s a continuation, just with a different group and new jersey on, which is extremely exciting,” Skinner said. “I think that's the part that kind of gives you that reset. Even just being around all smiles in here, and guys are having fun, and it's just been awesome.”

Skinner feels extremely lucky to have someone like Kulak by his side, as this is the first time Skinner has gone through this process.

“[Kulak] and I have grown close the past three years, playing with each other,” Skinner said. “So, when it happened, we were kind of smiling at each other, like, what are the odds that we get to go together? It's very, very special. It has helped me a ton in going into a new room with a friend, I think, makes a huge difference, instead of going alone and doing everything kind of by yourself and without your family.”

Goalies love having a player like Kulak in front of them. The left-handed defenseman brings experience and stability to the team’s blue line, with over 611 games of NHL experience between Edmonton, Montreal, and Calgary. His ironman streak of 295 consecutive games played, which ranks 9^th in the NHL, will continue tonight.

“You’re going to expect the same effort and the same quality of play every night,” Kulak said.

With Edmonton’s recent back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances, Kulak recorded 13 points (2G-11A) in 47 games and saw his role grow with tougher matchups while serving as a steady, shutdown presence.

“Anytime you can get experience like that, I’ve found it huge,” Kulak said. “And my game has been able to get better because of that. You get put in big, high-pressure moments. There’s some highs and lows and you just gain some experience throughout the whole thing. It created a lot of memories throughout a lot of runs there.”

The 31-year-old is as motivated as ever to join the Penguins and help the team win games.

“I’m really excited for the new opportunity to come into this room,” Kulak said. “Obviously, there’s guys who have won here before and there’s a lot of guys who are hungry to win for the first time. I think I kind of fit in that. I’m still hungry to win. I want to accomplish a lot in my career. … Hopefully, add a good element to the team.”

As for Tuesday’s matchup, Head Coach Dan Muse confirmed that Skinner will start in net and that Kulak will play alongside Jack St. Ivany on defense. While both the team and the coaching staff are excited about their debuts, the goal is to ensure that Skinner and Kulak are not overwhelmed during their adjustments.

“The process is getting them information, but I think that you’ve got to be careful to give them too much,” Muse said. “Guys gotta go out there and play. It’s almost like if there’s too much thrown at you early on, that could create hesitation and second-guessing, and that’s not what you want.”