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Winnipeg Signs Stuart Skinner As Connor Hellebuyck's Backup or Possible Replacement
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- Winnipeg Signs Stuart Skinner As Connor Hellebuyck's Backup or Possible Replacement
On Wednesday, the Winnipeg Jets made a notable addition in goal, signing former Edmonton Oilers and Pittsburgh Penguins netminder Stuart Skinner to a two-year deal worth $3.75 million per season, according to multiple reports.
The deal immediately raises one of the most significant questions of the Jets' offseason as to what does the arrival of a proven starting-calibre goaltender mean for the future of franchise cornerstone Connor Hellebuyck?
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If the Jets elect to move Hellebuyck, Skinner's arrival ensures Winnipeg would not be left scrambling for a replacement in net. Alternatively, if Hellebuyck stays, the Jets would suddenly boast one of the more formidable goaltending tandems in the league, with two netminders capable of carrying a team through a deep playoff run.
What makes the Skinner signing particularly compelling is the playoff pedigree he brings to the table. Since the 2023 playoffs, only two goaltenders in the entire league have made more postseason starts than Skinner, who has appeared in 53 playoff games over that stretch, posting a 26-25 record with a 2.89 goals-against average in the highest-pressure situations the sport has to offer.
Dealt to the Pittsburgh Penguins midway through last season after a difficult stretch in Edmonton, Skinner arrived with his confidence under scrutiny and questions swirling about whether the 25-year-old had hit a wall.
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The early returns in Pittsburgh did little to quiet the noise, but what followed was one of the more quietly impressive stretches of goaltending in the league over the second half of the season. Skinner went on a 15-game run where he posted a 9-2-4 record with a 2.44 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage, losing just twice in regulation and reminding the hockey world that the talent and competitive drive that had made him a starter in Edmonton were still very much intact.
At $3.75 million per season, the contract is team-friendly relative to the value a goaltender of his playoff experience typically commands on the open market. Whether Skinner ends up as a backup, a co-starter or the man taking over a crease vacated by one of the game's elite goaltenders, his arrival in Winnipeg gives the Jets options. And in a league where goaltending can be the difference between a first-round exit and a Stanley Cup run, having options in net is never a bad thing.
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