Hey everyone, welcome to another edition of Ask Dubey.
It’s a bit of a quiet time in the off-season, but we got some great questions this week. We also got a move from the Oilers, with the team hiring Peter Aubry as their new goalie coach.
There was a lot of talk around goalie coaching all season and throughout the playoffs, and for whatever reason, they’ve decided to make a change. I think it’s exciting, a fresh voice for the goalies in Edmonton. Sometimes, just getting a different perspective is a good thing. That’s why coaches move around a lot. A new voice, new eyes. It can be valuable.
Let’s get into some questions.

Read more about Edmonton’s new goalie coach…

Question: With all the speculation around the Oilers and goaltending, how does that affect a guy’s confidence heading into a new season?

This is a great question from Maple Jed. And yeah, I’ve lived it. But it’s a little different in Stuart Skinner’s case.
This kind of chatter has surrounded Stuart Skinner for a while now. The big difference is, he’s handled it way better than I ever did. I let it get to me. I didn’t respond well. It affected how I played.
Skinner’s human, of course it bugs him. He’s been to back-to-back Cup Finals, seven games and six games, and there’s still constant talk about moving him or bringing someone in to push him. That’s tough, but he’s learned how to deal with it.
Playing in a Canadian market, and especially Edmonton, where you’ve got the best fans in the world, but also sky-high expectations, this stuff comes with the territory. The Oilers are in their window to win. Skinner’s done a great job handling that pressure, but to quiet the noise, he’ll need to take a step in terms of consistency throughout the season.
That’s been the biggest knock: the inconsistency. The ups and downs. Until that evens out, the questions are going to keep coming. But I think he’s equipped to handle it. What he did in the playoffs, coming in cold when Pickard was rolling, was incredible.
Mental strength like that, in that kind of spot, is not easy. He performed when the team needed him. And he’s still young. He’s going to keep improving. But to stop the speculation, he needs to put together a steady regular season and then carry that into a consistent playoff run.
You can’t have your starter lose the net in back-to-back postseasons. Until that changes, the questions will stay. But again, he has the tools, he’s still just 26, and these are the years where goalies usually hit their prime. A solid season and playoff could go a long way in cementing his place.

Question: If you were the GM of the Oilers, what kind of extension would you offer Skinner right now? And if you traded him, what’s his value?

Good one here from TMueller. Straightforward answer: You’re not handing out a long-term deal right now.
As good as he’s been, Skinner’s still in a bit of a ‘prove it’ phase. A one- or two-year extension max, just because the long-term confidence isn’t fully there yet. But, he’s a starting NHL goalie who’s made back-to-back Finals, so you’re looking at $5.5 to $6 million per year on a short-term deal.
Now, in terms of trade value, that’s a different ball game. You don’t move a 26-year-old starter unless you’re absolutely certain about the guy coming back. If you’re moving him, you’re getting someone you believe in as your go-to guy, or else you’re just starting over again.
You’d need to package him with something else to get an elite guy, and those don’t come easy, especially not in free agency. It’s a dry market for legit starters. So if you move him, you better know exactly who your next starter is.

Read more: How should the Edmonton Oilers approach their goaltending situation?

Former Edmonton Oilers head coach Ralph Krueger with Team Europe at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

Question: What changed between the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons, going from Krueger to Eakins? Any Yak stories?

We’ll save the Yak stories for later. But the coaching change. Yeah, that was big.
I loved Ralph Krueger. As an associate and head coach, he was amazing. He demanded a lot, but respectfully. He believed in you, and when a coach genuinely believes you can be great, it pushes you to meet that level.
So it was disappointing to see him go. We were finally showing signs of progress after years of rebuilding. Then MacT came in and, as the new GM, wanted his own guy. That’s fair. It’s part of the business. But I don’t think I fit into his vision, and that’s where things started to unravel for me.
Dallas Eakins came in as a young coach. Great guy, great coach. But I think in Edmonton, he tried to be someone he wasn’t. He didn’t coach the same way he had before. There wasn’t much communication, and for me, with my confidence already gone, that just made things worse.
I couldn’t stop a beach ball. And that didn’t exactly help earn trust from the new coach or GM. It spiralled from there. Again, I own that. It’s my job to figure it out. But the combination of a new coach, a new direction, and no confidence just sunk me.

Question: Why don’t players like living in Edmonton?

I actually don’t think that’s true. I wanted to end with this one because it’s a bit of a myth.
The only knock on Edmonton is the cold. And yeah, it’s cold as hell. Everyone knows it. But outside of that, the city is awesome.
The facilities are top-notch. The fans are unbelievable. The organization treats you right. The training staff, therapists, everyone, I loved them when I was there, and many are still there. And of course, people want to play with Connor and Leon, but even beyond that, this is a place guys enjoy.
You don’t make two straight trips to the Stanley Cup Final if guys don’t want to be here. You don’t keep players like McDavid and Draisaitl unless it’s a great place to play. Edmonton’s a fantastic hockey city. Just invest in a parka and maybe delay your gas fill-ups when it’s -30.

Watch the full episode of Ask Dubey…