The 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics are less than six months away and yet, the rosters are not finalized and will not be until we are months into the 2025-26 NHL calendar.
Recently, St. Louis Blues general manager and Team Canada's GM, Doug Armstrong did an interview with the Sportsnet's The Fan Pregame show with Ailish and Justin. He was asked about the Olympic team -- specifically between the pipes.
Armstrong said "That's the most wide open competition on our team right now." which makes sense given the current state of goaltending for Canada at a national level. Since netminders like Roberto Luongo, Braden Holtby, and Carey Price retired, there really has not been a star netminder for Canada.
Although this has mostly been covered up by the fact that the NHL has not been to the Olympics since the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, it will become apparent this winter as Canada attempts to capture their third straight Gold Medal with NHL participation.
This lack of clarity in net begs the question; Could Stuart Skinner be the man between the pipes for Canada at the Olympics? He was not invited to Canada's orientation camp this month but he could still be in consideration.
Could Stuart Skinner be the answer?
Yes, the Oilers have had some genuine and justified questions regarding their current situation in the crease and especially with the club not addressing their goaltending situation. This has lead many to speculate on potential fits for the team to shore up their position in goal.
Skinner had a rough season last year carrying a .896 save percentage over 51 games in the regular season and an even worse .889 save percentage through 15 games in the playoffs. Despite this, the Oilers were still able to make their second Stanley Cup finals appearance in as many seasons, finishing the year as runner ups for hockey's holy grail.
However it cannot be forgotten that only two seasons prior, Skinner played quite well sporting a .914 save percentage over 50 games with the Oilers. Admittedly, he did not follow it up with a great postseason, backstopping the Oilers for 12 games with a .883 percentage but his regular season numbers were stellar and over a much greater sample.
Had Skinner played at that level last year, he would have ranked amongst the top 10 in goaltending save percentages and top 5 for starting goalies. This would have definitely put him in the conversation for Canada's crease at the 2026 Olympics.
Aside from his NHL career, Skinner actually has a history as a goalie for Hockey Canada, playing in net for Canada Black as a starter at the 2014 U-17 Men's World Championships and a backup at the 2016 U-18 Men's World Championships. He did not win any medals as a goalie with Canada, holding a .859 save percentage in three games at the U17's and a slightly improved .860 in three games at the U18's.
This does not inspire a lot of confidence in the possibility of Skinner playing goal for Canada, especially when considering his playoff numbers at the NHL level as well. However, given his chemistry with Canadian star and Oilers teammate, Connor McDavid and with the potential for him to come out and stand on his head to start the season, he should not be completely ruled out as an option in net for Canada at the 2026 Olympics but at this stage, it seems unlikely he will get the call.