Oilers May Have Let Star Goaltender Slip Out of the Organization to Canadian Rival

What makes this an actual mistake from the Oilers is the fact that Stolarz profiled as a high-end goalie when he was in Edmonton, and the organization was vocally surprised about how good he was. According to a blog post from the Oil Rig, Hitchcock and the Oilers were extremely high on Stolarz, and the organization was aware that he was one of the few goalies who posted positive goals above expected over his NHL career.

During his Oiler tenure, Stolarz really only had the one poor appearance, which came in relief against St. Louis. The lack of trust from the coaching staff did not match the results. Hitchcock even had multiple quotes pointing out that he was surprised how good Stolarz was
- The Oil Rig

NHL goaltenders are extremely difficult to predict, and starting goalies seem to often develop late in their career out of nowhere. Stolarz wasn't one of these players - he had quality attributes that made the Oilers interested in him, only to throw him away for 4 more games of Mikko Koskinen. Even if the Oilers re-signed him as an RFA, he would've been quality goalie depth the team needed.

It's not for sure yet that Stolarz will be able to maintain his level of success in an elevated role, but as a starting goalie for the Leafs, his value could skyrocket this season into star status.

So far this year, Stuart Skinner has been off to a slow start, being the second worst goalie the NHL by Goals Saved Above Expected. Earlier today, NHL goalie analyst Steve Valiquette actually said he believes the Oilers can not win with Skinner.

We'll have to see how the year shakes out for Stolarz, but what already looked like a mistake may turn out to be even worse for the Oilers. Fans want their hometown boy Skinner to be the starter, but if he continues to struggle, Edmonton will have to make a change.