Goalie Trade Breakdown: Tristan Jarry and Stuart Skinner Swap Nets

Edmonton faithful had been asking for it. Connor Mcdavid made the space for it. And finally, the Oilers management team completed it: a goalie trade!

Tristan Jarry, the Pittsburgh Penguin veteran of over 300 NHL games, was traded to the Edmonton Oilers Friday morning to backstop a potential third straight run to the Stanley Cup Final, with the hope that he has been the missing link of the chain that will drag the Stanley Cup back to Edmonton.

Let’s breakdown the trade:

Edmonton Oilers receive:

Goalie Tristan Jarry (9-3-1, 2.66 GAA, .909 SV%)

Winger Samuel Poulin (15 career games played with 2 assists)

Pittsburgh Penguins receive:

Goalie Stuart Skinner (11-8-4, 2.83 GAA, .891 SV%)

Defenseman Brett Kulak (2 Pts, 33 SOG, 4 Hits, 38 blocks, and -7)

2nd round pick in 2029

Hats off to Penguins GM Kyle Dubas for cap dumping a goalie that was sent down to the minor league on multiple occasions last year and receiving a starting NHL goalie with 50 career postseason starts under his belt at age 27, in addition to a veteran defenseman (which could later be flipped) and a 2nd round draft pick in exchange for him.

Brett Kulak hasn’t brought a ton of fantasy value this year, even in the deepest of leagues, but keep an eye on him because his value could change depending on his usage, and he seems like a candidate to be traded again before too long. He was able to compile 25 Pts last season, alongside 135 shots and 118 blocks, so let’s see how the dust settles around his role going forward before completely forgetting about him.

Stuart Skinner goes from starter on a team led by Connor McDavid to starter on a team led by Sydney Crosby. He likely fits in well with his new club and may even bolster his numbers as the season goes on. His mental health, too, should rejuvenate in his new environment, as he goes from being the scapegoat of the Oilers to a valued member of his new team. That relief in pressure may very well bring out the best in him.

On the other end of the deal, we may be right to question if this was, indeed, the right trade for the Oilers. Current Oilers GM, Stan Bowman, may have had his hand forced by the media and his fanbase to make a drastic move in net, but this trade doesn’t appear to get them that big game goalie they were looking for. While Jarry has put together a great campaign this year, his 2 career playoff wins in 8 career playoff starts leave far too little of substance in the cupboard of Stanley Cup experience. Likely, the hope here is that a change up will spark the Oilers team, as a whole, much in the same way a coaching change in November of 2023 sparked the team towards back to back Stanley Cup Final appearances.

For fantasy purposes, Jarry is a Sell-High trade candidate. The early rumblings around leagues I participate in is that Jarry’s numbers will tank and we should all try to sell Jarry off to the Oilers fans in our leagues as fast as we can. On paper, this line of thinking makes sense, as Jarry has seen a downward trend of fantasy production in each of his last 4 seasons, capped off by a 16-12-6 record with subpar metrics of 3.12 GAA and .892 SV% last season. But we have to remember that Jarry is now backstopping a team led by world class superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisatl in the prime of their careers. Simply put: the Oilers will be a playoff team and Tristan Jarry will see every possible opportunity for deployment. He will win and he will win a lot! Depending on your league settings, he could offer great value for the rest of the season in the form of Wins and Saves (though I wouldn’t bank on his Save Percentage in any category leagues!). Many fantasy managers seem skeptical of this trade, and in real life they may be correct, but in fantasy - this could be something to take advantage of.

For Stuart Skinner, he joins a Penguins team that many (myself included) thought would be battling for last place in the league this year, but actually currently sit in a playoff spot. The wins will likely dry up for Skinner and the Penguins as the season progresses, but look for his metrics to improve in its place. He should still hold value in fantasy, as he should receive the majority of starts in Pittsburgh, and will face far less scorn from his hometown fans along the way. In fantasy, both goalies involved in this trade should gain value in their new environments for the duration of this season.

In conclusion, I think this trade finally pushes a certain team over the hill they have been climbing for a couple of years now. Yes, that’s right, I think that the Los Angeles Kings will finally defeat the Edmonton Oilers in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs! And for all of us fantasy hockey managers - why not take a shot on one of these goalies getting a fresh start? The cost could be cheap, so if you need help in net Stuart Skinner and Tristan Jarry are good bets to pay off their price tag as the season wears on.