Oilers' Skinner & Campbell Tandem Could Be One of NHL's Bests in 2023-24
The Stuart Skinner/Jack Campbell tandem has the potential to be excellent in 2023-24.
Assuming there are no shocking changes made beforehand, the Edmonton Oilers will start the season with Stuart Skinner and Jack Campbell as their goaltending tandem. Although some may have concerns with it, they have the potential to be one of the NHL's top tandems heading into the 2023-24 campaign.
Related: Edmonton Oilers Free Agent Tracker
Skinner, 24, took a notable step forward in 2022-23 and showed that he can be a legitimate NHL starter. In 50 appearances on the year, he sported a 29-14-5 record, a .913 save percentage (SV%), and a 2.75 goals-against average (GAA). He stepped up beautifully while Campbell struggled and should have zero trouble replicating this play in 2023-24.
Yet, I'd argue that Skinner is poised to improve even further this upcoming season. Besides possessing high potential, Skinner should benefit from getting more experience in the sport's most competitive league. Keep in mind, 2022-23 was his first full season in the NHL.
Campbell, on the other hand, notably struggled during his first season as an Oiler. Although he sported a strong 21-9-4 record, his 3.41 GAA and .888 SV% show he was far from consistent. In 2023-24, he will need to change that.
When looking at Campbell's past success, it is fair to argue that he can turn things around. Let's take a look at a recent example. During the 2021-22 season with the Toronto Maple Leafs, he had a 31-9-6 record, a .914 SV%, and a 2.64 GAA. He also had an impressive .921 SV% in 2020-21. If he can get back to playing this well moving forward, the Oilers are going to be in an excellent position.
It is going to be fun to see how well these two perform for the Oilers this upcoming season. If Skinner breaks out further and Campbell bounces back to his previous form, they will easily have one of the strongest goalie tandems in the league.
