Let's be honest. The Vegas Golden Knights and Edmonton Oilers don't like each other. Fans can recall the numerous moments from the notorious rivalry, whether it's Evander Kane blowing kisses or the epic Jack Eichel/Connor McDavid battle. It's made the two teams must-see television every time they face off against one another.
Saturday will be no different, specifically with the Golden Knights returning to Rogers Place. They'll face those same Oilers in Edmonton, who are 8-2-0 in their last 10 games. However, Vegas is 8-1-1 in that span, making this a colossal battle during a crucial trip. But there's more to the story than a rivalry being renewed. There's also... Stuart Skinner?
Our friends at Oil on Whyte had an interesting idea regarding the Oilers' goaltender. They proposed a trade package to send Adin Hill or Robin Lehner to Canada for Skinner (maybe Ilya Samsonov and Jesper Vikman?). The goalie-for-goalie swap wouldn't have many Golden Knights fans on board, especially since Hill has been lights-out recently.
However, having Skinner in a goaltending tandem with Hill would make the Golden Knights exponentially better at the goaltender position. What are the benefits of having the 26-year-old paired with Hill? Could a deal be done without Hill being involved?
Why Stuart Skinner would help the Vegas Golden Knights
For all the bashing and negative talk that has happened here about Stuart Skinner, the Edmonton native could help the Vegas Golden Knights in net. Adin Hill (2.59 GAA, 9.04 save percentage in 2024-25) has turned it around as a goaltender. He's been paramount to the team standing alone atop the Pacific Division with 41 points.
But why not duplicate (or attempt to duplicate) last season's duo of Hill and Logan Thompson? Sure, Skinner (2.81 GAA, .895 save percentage) won't jump out at you the way Thompson has in net. However, he will benefit from a goaltender-friendly system that emphasizes taking shooting lanes away.
The blue line has done much better restricting shots from flowing in during the past week. The Golden Knights are allowing 26.67 shots per game in the past three contests. That total was elevated in part to the Dallas Stars shooting 40 shots last Friday.
With the defense turning matters around, it has helped goaltenders like Hill get better looks at shots. That could also help Skinner if he's traded to the Golden Knights, specifically with a better backchecking team. Overall, the endless array of blocked shots and takeaways could keep him cozy in his net, leaving him without a worry in the world.
Is there a trade with the Edmonton Oilers that works?
Let's be 100% honest. The deal for Stuart Skinner isn't getting done without a goaltender dealt. Adin Hill will be brought up, only to be shut down by Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon. Why do a goalie swap when your top netminder is playing well? Therefore, the best-case scenario (with keeping Hill) would involve a third team.
This best-case scenario would also involve a third team, specifically if Hill's off-limits. Vladar would be the go-to starter for the Oilers, although the unit would be slightly downgraded. Still, Edmonton has traditionally been a score-first, ask-questions-later team. Therefore, solid defense and backchecking aren't as significant as simply outscoring your opponents.
Then again, this is a perfect-world scenario for a Golden Knight fan. This also wouldn't happen considering Hill (1.56 GAA, .946 save percentage in his last five games) and Skinner (1.41 GAA, .947 save percentage, 4-1-0 record in his last five games) have done well recently. Although things will change come March, the Golden Knights and Oilers won't budge on their current netminder situations. Still, one can dream about sticking it to their rivals, right?