Stuart Skinner made 32 saves against Colorado on Wednesday, and he's quietly keeping the Jets afloat while the Connor Hellebuyck saga drags on.
Winnipeg beat the Avalanche 3-2, a team that had scored 14 goals in its first two games. That's a statement win for a crease nobody trusted in September.
The Jets are now 3-0-1. Hellebuyck still isn't playing as he waits for a trade.
Skinner sits at a .920 save percentage through four games. That's far above what most people expected, and Jets fans will take every bit of it.
Clay Stevenson, the waiver claim, has chipped in too with a .935. Between them, the Jets have banked points they could easily have lost.
Skinner, 27, carries a $3,750,000 cap hit. For that price, Winnipeg is getting starter-level goaltending at the moment it matters most.
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Kevin Cheveldayoff gets breathing room he didn't earn
This should have been settled long before October. Kevin Cheveldayoff passed on Buffalo's draft offer and Florida's later bid, and the situation stretched into the season.
Now the goaltending gives the GM leverage he didn't really earn. The Jets can wait, and they may not need a goalie back in a deal anymore.
Cheveldayoff got lucky. Skinner is bailing out a front office that let this drag too long, and that kind of luck rarely lasts a full season.
It's like the understudy nailing opening night while the star waits backstage for a contract.
Buffalo, Utah and Carolina remain the frontrunners for Hellebuyck. Every Skinner win makes Winnipeg's asking price easier to hold.
The Jets host Anaheim on Friday. Another strong night in goal keeps the pressure squarely on the buyers.
Skinner probably won't keep up this pace all year. For now, he's the reason Winnipeg isn't rushing a decision it should have made months ago.
Is Stuart Skinner saving the Jets' season?
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