TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that the Winnipeg Jets have signed netminder Stuart Skinner to a two-year, $7.5MM ($3.75MM AAV) contract.
After half a season with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Skinner is back in Canada. Despite being heavily connected to the Ottawa Senators leading up to free agency, Skinner ultimately lands with the Jets to play in a backup role behind Connor Hellebuyck, if he remains in Winnipeg. Given the trade speculation surrounding Hellebuyck throughout the past two weeks, that’s a big if.
Skinner, 27, is a known commodity throughout the league. His performance has bottomed out over the past two years, managing a 49-35-13 record between the Penguins and Edmonton Oilers with a .892 SV% and 2.86 GAA. Still, Skinner is only a year removed from getting the Oilers to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals.
Many will argue that the Oilers reached the Stanley Cup Final despite Skinner, but he nonetheless got them there. The highlight of his postseason career came in the 2025 Western Conference Final, when Skinner out-dueled Jake Oettinger of the Dallas Stars, averaging a .924 SV% in five games.
Regardless, his performance between the pipes since then has been less than inspiring. A lot of this signing hinges on whether or not the Jets move on from Hellebuyck this offseason. If they don’t, Skinner should be fine in a backup role behind the world’s best netminder. However, if Winnipeg does move Hellebuyck, and they don’t get a starter in return, the Jets could be in for some dark days with Skinner as their starter.