Baffled reactions pour in after Oilers’ blockbuster trade

News broke on Friday morning that the Edmonton Oilers acquired goaltender Tristan Jarry and forward Sam Poulin in a blockbuster trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins . Starting goaltender Stuart Skinner, veteran defenseman Brett Kulak and a 2029 second-round pick are headed back to Pittsburgh in the trade.

Reactions did not emerge immediately on social media with fans and pundits scratching their heads with this one. Most commented that it seems like the Oilers are basically trading a volatile goaltender for another… In a matter of no time, reactions were trending along with the monster transaction.

“This one’s a head scratcher,” posted former NHLer and TNT analyst Paul Bissonnette.

His podcast co-host and former NHLer, who played for the Oilers, Ryan Whitney had this to say:

“Wow the Oil have moved on from Stuart Skinner. Tristan Jarry is the new man in town and while being excited I’m also kind of scratching my head. Jarry cleared waivers 12 months ago and has a real tough time staying healthy. His ceiling is higher than Skinner so here we go.”

Fans’ comments have been more blunt and hasher, and perhaps not totally appropriate for publication.

This blockbuster really has people climbing up the walls!

Despite the negative reactions, the reality is the Oilers couldn’t go with the status quo again in net. Edmonton had an .888 save percentage last postseason and no team has won a Stanley Cup in the cap era with anything worse than .902.

A change of scenery might be what’s necessary for Skinner, especially after months of harsh critics and tough performances. He has an 11-8-4 record this season with a .891 save percentage and a 2.83 goals-against average. He has helped the Oilers on their way to two consecutive trips to the Stanley Cup Final, but the team ultimately fell short against the Florida Panthers in each of the past two years.

Skinner is a pending unrestricted free agent, carrying a cap hit of $2.6 million on his expiring deal.

Jarry has been the subject of trade rumors for much of this season, and now the trigger has been pulled despite his off night on Thursday against the visiting Montreal Canadiens.

In 14 games so far this season with the Penguins, Jarry has posted a 9-2-1 record, a .909 save percentage, and a 2.66 goals-against average. With the team’s red hot start to the 2025-26 season, Jarry has been a significant reason why Pittsburgh remains in playoff contention for the first time in three years.

He’s currently playing in the third season of a five-year, $26.88 million contract and carries a cap hit of $5.38 million.

What do you make of the trade?