Stuart Skinner isn't just going to walk into the Pittsburgh Penguins organization and steal the starting job. The front office likely looks at Skinner's experience in Edmonton and thinks that he will play with a massive weight off his shoulders in Pittsburgh. However, he'll need to prove worthy of dethroning fellow goalies Arturs Silovs, Sergei Murashov, and Joel Blomqvist, according to Pens Inside Scoop via X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Beyond this year, there's no real commitment. The door is wide open for competition between (Skinner, Silovs, Murashov, and Blomqvist)… There's a lot of incentive there… We'll see who can climb to the top and take it and run with it,” Kyle Dubas commented after the Stuart Skinner acquisition.
PIS also added that for the foreseeable future, it'll be Skinner and Silovs in Pittsburgh and Murashov and Blomqvist in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Murashov has arguably been the Penguins' best goaltender this year in limited action, recording a 1.90 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage in just four appearances.
Silovs has been no slouch, either. He also has a save percentage of .900 and a 2.98 goals-against average. The Penguins have no desire to waste any more of their Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin years, so giving Skinner unearned time just because of the trade isn't on the horizon. Pittsburgh is in striking distance of the playoffs because of its goaltending, and the hope is that Skinner doesn't upset that.
The Penguins will miss the presence of Jarry, but acquiring Stuart Skinner, Brett Kulak, and a second-round pick for him was too good a deal to pass up.
