Oilers’ Stuart Skinner Being Snubbed from 4 Nations Looking Worse by the Day – The Hockey Writers Edmonton Oilers Latest News, Analysis & More

Following a playoff run in which he helped lead the Edmonton Oilers to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers, most thought it was a no-brainer that Stuart Skinner would be a part of Canada’s roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament. In fact, some even believed he would be their starter.

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Though Skinner was unable to hoist the Stanley Cup last spring, he didn’t falter under what was undoubtedly the biggest game of his career, giving up just two goals in what ended as a devastating 2-1 loss from the perspective of Oilers fans.

Despite proving in both the Western Conference and Stanley Cup Final that he had what it took to raise his game when the stakes were at their highest, Skinner was left off Canada’s roster entirely. The 26-year-old had a slow start to the 2024-25 campaign, which likely played a big part. Still, leaving him off entirely felt like a mistake, and even with Canada set to play in the championship against USA on Thursday, it’s becoming increasingly evident that he should have been on this roster.

Skinner Would Have Provided Better Goaltending than Binnington

As mentioned, Canada was able to advance to the championship of the 4 Nations Face-Off thanks to a 5-3 win over Finland on Monday, but goaltending hasn’t been the reason why. In fact, many were calling for Jordan Binnington to be sat after two shaky starts against Sweden and USA. Jon Cooper elected to go with him once again, however, and though he started out fine, he faltered late and made Monday’s game much closer than anybody watching envisioned.

Binnington has struggled through his three starts in this tournament, giving up a number of goals which NHL goalies should be making stops on. Some would suggest that it’s unfair to judge him given the small sample size, but his play over the last four seasons hasn’t been all that good.

While Binnington was solid in 2023-24 with a .913 save percentage (SV%), his play from 2021-22 to the present hasn’t been all that great. He finished 2021-22 with a .901 SV%, and followed that up with a .894 SV% in 61 games during the 2022-23 season. As mentioned, he bounced back somewhat in 2023-24, but has struggled once again in 2024-25 with a .897 SV%. Those aren’t numbers anyone should expect from a goalie given the starting role for Canada.

Skinner, meanwhile, has had a significantly lower goals against average (GAA) than Binnington over the past three seasons. During that time, he’s posted SV%’s of .914, .905, and .900. Those numbers aren’t elite by any means, but are overall much stronger than Binnington has been able to provide for the St. Louis Blues.

Other Deserving Candidates

Now, some will point to the fact that there are better options than both Binnington and Skinner, and they may not be wrong. Adin Hill, who has served as the back up through the first three games of this tournament, has won a Stanley Cup more recently than Binnington, and has once again been the stronger of the two through the past three regular seasons. What hurts Hill is that he hasn’t played a ton of hockey in that time.

In 2022-23, the season in which he led the Vegas Golden Knights to a Stanley Cup championship, Hill suited up for just 27 regular season games. Last season saw him make 35 appearances, while 2024-25 has finally seen him take over more of a starting role with 34 games played. The lack of starts is what gives Skinner the upper hand, as he’s proven to be a decently reliable number-one option, while Hill (aside from his 2023 playoff run) has been used as more of a tandem option.

As for Sam Montembeault, Canada’s third goaltender, there are serious questions as to why he is on this roster at all. In 186 career games, he has a 3.30 GAA and a .898 SV%. He’s also two years older than Skinner, which removes any suggestion that he may have been brought around as a young guy to prepare for these best-on-best tournaments in the future.

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While Skinner was undoubtedly a snub for this team, he wasn’t alone. Logan Thompson was undeniably the best starting option for the Canadians, while other names including Darcy Kuemper, MacKenzie Blackwood, and Marc-Andre Fleury were all deserving of consideration. That said, Skinner’s age, paired with his career success to this point, made him a more than deserving candidate to crack this roster. Not taking him was a mistake, though that mistake will be far less scrutinized if the Canadians can pick up a win on Thursday.