I remember this day, this moment. It was a hot July afternoon in 2022. We were three months from knowing Jo-Anne was ill, and four months from losing her. We were just a few weeks from the arrival of my book, something I cherish even more now (Jo and I spent all of our time together when the book was being written. It was during Covid. I remember those days most fondly).

It was hot that day. You can see my gigantic forehead in the mirror (I didn’t take the photo) but you may not be able to see I’m sweating. Even with the air on (we had just come from Cobbs and were heading for Mercato) it was hot. “Close” my Dad used to say when the heat was so abundant you could feel it against your body.

If I wrote a book of lamentations, much of it would include 2022. The thing is, you don’t know what you don’t know.

I think the Oilers know now. Stan Bowman knows.

Ken Holland built his team on free agency, and in areas it didn’t work out he attempted to trade contracts that were inefficient. He bled assets in doing so, but Holland did some good things with those dollars (Zach Hyman signing, Mattias Ekholm trade) and some of those things are part of a very good hockey club in Edmonton.

Stuart Skinner was drafted by the Oilers in 2017’s third round. I don’t know and the Oilers will never say, but I think Bob Green was the driver on that selection. Green knows the WHL and that pick seemed a priority based on the post-draft verbal.

By any measure, Skinner has been a draft success. He won and held the starting job in Edmonton for three seasons, and backstopped the team to Game 7 of the SCF in 2024. He has impressive playoff experience (38 NHL games) for such a young goaltender (he is 26).

Skinner will be in a new NHL city in the fall. The Oilers will have a new goaltender to play alongside Calvin Pickard.

The terrible line changes and ghastly coverage will remain. Skinner, like Devan Dubnyk before him, will find his way.

I’ve learned a lot since 2022. One of the biggest lessons is you have to go through the darkness to find the light. I have, these 30 months later, found the light. That is my hope for Stuart Skinner.

I hold out hope for this young man, and I live for redemption stories like the one Skinner could write this evening. If I’m honest, it seems the die has been cast. Damn shame. I still believe Bob Green was right, but the script is not turning out that way, at least in Edmonton.

At noon today, the Lowdown hits on Sports 1440 radio. Rachel Doerrie and Jason Gregor will be our feature guests, and we’ll chat Oilers, NHL playoffs across the elite eight, NBA playoffs, MLB and more. I’m at Lowetide on twitter, in the comments section here and on the Sports 1440 text line at 1.833.401.1440 directly. We can be heard at sports1440.ca; iHeartRadio, Radioplayer Canada, it’s available post-show on apple and spotify, and we tweet it out on X.