Is It Worth It To Move Stuart Skinner Before Friday's NHL Trade Deadline?

It's been almost three months since the Pittsburgh Penguins acquired Stuart Skinner from the Edmonton Oilers in the Tristan Jarry trade.

The Penguins traded Jarry and forward Sam Poulin to the Oilers on Dec. 12 in exchange for Skinner, defenseman Brett Kulak, and a 2029 second-round pick. They then flipped Kulak to the Colorado Avalanche for Sam Girard and a 2028 second-round pick last Tuesday. 

Dubas is never afraid of making deals, and he figures to be pretty active again this week since the NHL's trade deadline is this Friday. He's in charge of a team that finds itself in second place in the Metropolitan Division with 75 points. 

The Penguins have surpassed everyone's expectations this year and are trying to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2021-22 season. However, Skinner has been in trade rumors over the last week and is No. 6 on Frank Seravalli's trade target board. 

Skinner is a pending UFA, so it's only natural that the Penguins will at least listen to offers on him. He's been good since coming over from the Oilers and went through a stretch where he won eight of nine starts before losing his last two. During Skinner's hot streak, he had a .912 save percentage or better in seven of those games. 

To take it a step further, over the last 10 games, Skinner ranks sixth among all goaltenders in goals saved above expected with six. 

There's a legit argument to be made that Skinner could be the best available goaltender at the deadline, but the Penguins shouldn't move him unless they get an offer they can't refuse. It would have to be at least a second-round pick, plus something else in return, whether it's a veteran goaltender or a player at another position. 

Otherwise, the Penguins should keep him and roll with him and Silovs for the stretch run and potentially into the playoffs. Skinner has extensive playoff experience that can pay dividends for the Penguins. He recently started for the Oilers in two straight Stanley Cup Finals against the Florida Panthers, and you can never have enough goaltending during this time of the season.

I know that Sergei Murashov is lighting up Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and everyone is excited about his future (myself included), but it would be asking a lot to rely on him and Silovs for the most crucial stretch of the season. They're both still rookies at the end of the day, and Murashov has only played in four NHL games. 

He should cook a little more in WBS and help his team try to win a Calder Cup before he's on the team full-time next season. There's no need to rush him for the sake of it. 

Overall, there are teams that need goaltending before the deadline (hello, Vegas and Carolina), but unless the Penguins are getting a dream return, they should roll with Skinner and Silovs the rest of the way.

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