Stuart Skinner is going to make his debut as a Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender on Tuesday night.
Against the Edmonton Oilers.
Yep, his first game for his new team will be against the team that just traded him away.
For those who need a refresher on last week's deal:
- Oilers get:
- Tristan Jarry
- Sam Poulin
- Penguins get:
- Stuart Skinner
- Brett Kulak
- Oilers' 2029 2nd-round pick
Jarry will likely start in net, too. It'll be a double revenge game for the netminders.
Why did the Oilers and Penguins make the Tristan Jarry for Stuart Skinner trade?
The Oilers made this deal to try and improve in net and thus improve their Stanley Cup chances.
Skinner had a save percentage below 90% this season, and his backup Calvin Pickard had been even worse. Edmonton needed the upgrade and was willing to throw in Kulak and a draft pick to do it.
The Penguins wanted to start clearing the decks for their goalie of the future, Sergei Murashov.
Skinner and Arturs Silovs both are in the final years of their contracts. The 21-year old Murashov looks set to take over full time sooner rather than later.
The Penguins didn't need Jarry as much as the Oilers did, so they took the slight present downgrade, added other assets and created an easier path for their young goalie to ascend to his starting spot in the near future.
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