Stuart Skinner Not Expected Back with Penguins
Veteran goaltender Stuart Skinner isn’t expected to return to the Pittsburgh Penguins next season, this according to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period.
Skinner was acquired by the Penguins on December 12th from the Edmonton Oilers, as the main return of the Tristan Jarry trade.
In 27 games with Pittsburgh, Skinner was 12-9-5, while recording a 2.99 goals against average.
After starting the first three games in net, for the first round of the playoffs, Skinner was replaced by Arturs Silovs. The decision from head coach Dan Muse came as a surprise, as Skinner hadn’t been that bad in goal, but Silovs did give the Penguins a better showing, especially in Game 6.
Skinner enters the offseason as an unrestricted free agent. Given that the Pens are likely to have Silovs back in the fold, and top goalie prospect Sergei Murashov waiting in the wings, it’s not surprising that the team will look to move on from Skinner.
The 27-year-old netminder is expected to be one of the top goaltenders, in a watered down free agent market for goalies.