CALGARY — Stuart Skinner believes the second heartbreak will be easier to get over than the first.

It’s been two months since the Edmonton Oilers lost again to the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final, but the 26-year-old goalie feels it will be easier to turn the page when training camp begins in September.

“I think going through it the first time, you go through that experience in the summer and then you realize the things you did well and the things you didn’t do well,” Skinner said prior to participating in the Rogers Legends of Hockey event as part of the PGA Tour Champions stop at the Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club on Saturday. “So going through it a second time, which is obviously devastating, but being able to say you went through this does actually help you get over it quicker, just because you have to go back into training and do it all over again.”

Edmonton still has Stanley Cup aspirations and will look to get off to a better start than it did last season. The Oilers lost five of their first seven games (2-4-1) in 2024-25 following a 2-1 defeat to the Panthers in Game 7 of the Cup Final to the Panthers the previous spring.

Skinner said Edmonton is better equipped to handle a short offseason knowing what it entails after losing the Cup Final in six games to Florida last season.

“It’s a quick turnaround and we know how much time we have,” Skinner said. “So, we know what the summer training looks like so we feel our best going into the season. I think it for sure helps.”

Skinner returned to the ice Aug. 1, skating in his offseason home in Kelowna, British Columbia. It is later than when he returned to the ice a year ago.

“I think I got back on the ice a little too quick last summer, talking about the experience part again,” Skinner said. “Going into the season, I want to be as fresh as I can, as strong as I can.

“Just mentally being able to let go and put hockey aside for a couple of weeks and have that excitement of wanting to get back and get back on the ice and get back to work, I’ve definitely found that. It was hard to stay off as long as I did, but that’s a really good sign. It means you really love the game, and I’m really excited to be back on the ice.”

The Oilers core will be returning this season, led by star centers Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. They also have seven defensemen coming back to play in front of Skinner or backup goalie Calvin Pickard.

Edmonton also added forwards Andrew Mangiapane, David Tomasek, Curtis Lazar and Isaac Howard, the Hobey Baker Award winner as the best player in the NCAA last season, to the roster. They will replace forward Evander Kane, who was traded to the Vancouver Canucks on June 25, and forwards Corey Perry (Los Angeles Kings) and Connor Brown (New Jersey Devils), who departed as unrestricted free agents on July 1.

With the majority of the roster returning, Skinner is optimistic the Oilers have the ability to reach the Stanley Cup Final again this season.

“Absolutely, that’s what we’re going for,” he said. “Being able to pick up some pieces, obviously we lost some guys and that’s always the hard part about the business — you make some great relationships, great friendships, and they get traded or sign somewhere else or whatever.

“That’s just part of the business. You learn that in juniors when you make some great friends and you get traded. We’ve all been through that and it’s hard, but we’re going to create some new friendships and some great relationships and that’s another amazing thing about the game.”

Skinner is entering his fourth full season with the Oilers and the last of his three-year, $7.8 million contract ($2.6 million average annual value). He is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2026.

He’s packed a lot into his first three seasons with Edmonton, including an NHL All-Star appearance and Calder Trophy nomination in 2022-2023, along with consecutive trips to the Cup Final. Skinner is 98-54-14 with a 2.73 goals-against average, a .906 save percentage and seven shutouts in 174 regular-season games (168 starts) and 26-22 with a 2.88 GAA, an .893 save percentage and four shutouts in 50 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

“Definitely, there’s been a lot of things going on in a compressed amount of time and that’s awesome — that’s what I want,” Skinner said. “If you would have told me that seven years ago, I would have told you that you’re out to lunch.

“I think being able to be in the position that I’m in and being able to do what I’ve done with an amazing group of guys, it’s pretty cool.”