The Oilers didn’t change their goaltenders in the off-season, and there are reasons for that, most notably that the replacement options were slim. However, there’s more to it than that. There’s a belief that new goalie coach Peter Aubry can work wonders for Stuart Skinner and help him take a sizeable leap forward.

The pro scouting and management will be monitoring the goaltending, wing and right defence markets in the first half of the season, even if there isn’t much urgency to make a trade.

One of Aubry’s key objectives is to build Skinner’s confidence in the hopes that he can play at a higher level more often. The Oilers feel like Skinner has that in him. It’s why Stan Bowman publicly throwing his support behind Skinner to open training camp was more than just lip service.

“I actually saw Stu earlier this week in the kitchen before going on the ice. The first thing I noticed is he looked thin, and I said, ‘Wow, you look different,’ and he said, ‘Yeah, I wanted to try something different, be a little bit lighter this year, and I feel great.’

And he does. He looks good, he looks quick on the ice, and talking with Peter Aubry, who they’ve formed a really great connection with, Stu and I talked about that, he’s really excited about the connection they’ve formed over the summer. They’ve spent a lot of time with each other talking about the game, talking about his game, and really, it’s like a fresh approach to the season.

“I think when you add it all up, there are a lot of reasons for excitement coming into the season for Stu.”