On Friday morning, the Pittsburgh Penguins acquired goaltender Stuart Skinner, defenseman Brett Kulak, and the Edmonton Oilers 2029 second-round draft pick in exchange for goaltender Tristan Jarry and forward Sam Poulin.

It was a big trade for both teams. The Penguins admitted that the Jarry experiment didn't necessarily work, and the Oilers decided that, as beloved as Skinner was as a human being, an upgrade in net was needed. 

The Oilers made a second move, landing Spencer Stastney from the Nashville Predators to mitigate the loss of Kulak. 

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This trade wasn't just about switching goaltenders. Far from it. There were nuances and intricacies involved in this decision that go beyond how well either Jarry or Skinner were playing this season. 

Early reactions to the trade have been mixed. Some were quick to say the Oilers made the wrong move. If the idea was to have Jarry and Skinner as a tandem, this trade looks out of left field. But, that's not what happened here. The Oilers decided, and likely some time ago, that Skinner was always the guy who had to go. 

Ryan Whitney from Spittin' Chiclets might have said what many fans are thinking: "Wow, the Oil have moved on from Stuart Skinner." He adds, " Tristan Jarry is the new man in town and while being excited I’m also kind of scratching my head. Jarry cleared waivers 12 months ago and has a real tough time staying healthy. His ceiling is higher than Skinner so here we go."

It was last season and before the start of the 2025-26 campaign that the Oilers likely decided another run with Skinner as the starter wasn't going to cut it. Following a second failed Stanely Cup win the Final, GM Stan Bowman said he would be looking for upgrades over the summer. He ultimately didn't pull the trigger. However, he never stopped looking around, and Jarry was someone he'd been keeping tabs on. 

As for why the Oilers didn't claim him on waivers when they could have... that has a lot to do with the cap situation and the belief in Skinner at the time. Jarry wasn't playing great and the Oilers hadn't yet lost faith in Skinner. Edmonton didn't have the information they feel they have now. 

Bowman told the media on Friday, "We wanted to see how he [Jarry] started the season off and I think he’s been doing really well there in Pittsburgh. 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." He added, "“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.”

The Oilers were never going into the playoffs with Skinner as their starter. Bowman just needed to make sure he felt fully confident in Jarry. Right or wrong, Friday's trade revealed he does. 

The Oilers Also Wanted Cost Certainty

To show you just how little confidence the Oilers had in Skinner being their goaltender of the future, Bowman admitted there were never contract talks. “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."

He added, "You look at some of the recent goaltenders who signed over the past summer, Tristan’s cap hit is very manageable."

This works well if Jarry plays as the Oilers hope he will. It's a risk. 

The throwing in of Brett Kulak in this deal was also a matter of money. First, Edmonton needed to do it to make the math work. Second, Kulak was also a pending UFA and he was one of the few Oilers the team didn't talk to this summer about an extension. Instead, Edmonton grabs Spencer Stastney from the Nashville Predators, whom Edmonton likes a lot. At $825K, he's a pending RFA under team control. If the upside on this player becomes what some expect it to be, the Oilers will have done well here. 

At the end of the day, this deal offers no guarantees. Bowman and the organization are taking what they believe is a calculated gamble, having likely decided that Skinner wasn't the guy. Whether they're done making moves remains to be seen. Edmonton could search for another backup and pull a Colorado Avalanche from last season -- completely chaning their goaltending tandem -- or they could try to find a No. 5 or No. 6 defenseman at the deadline. 

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