Jeff Skinner knows goal scoring proven by his offensive stats throughout his NHL career. Based on his productivity, it is surprising he had his contract bought out by the Buffalo Sabres. Therefore, let’s present a review of his impact to the Edmonton Oilers roster.
Jeff Skinner’s Stats Weren’t Enough to Keep Him in Buffalo
Sometimes it is difficult to understand the impetus behind buying a player out. However, according to puckpedia for the Buffalo Sabres, having a cap hit of $1,444,444 in 2024-25 opposed to $9,000,000 probably is worth it. Yes, there are other dollar amounts involved, but that is the big one. And for Skinner himself, he still collects $22,000,000 from the Sabres spanned over the next three years.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson was another good example. In 2023-24 his total salary amounted to $10,500,000 plus $2,250,000. However, the Vancouver Canucks managed to save over $7,ooo,ooo in cap space, and the Coyotes, now Utah hockey club, saved nearly a million dollars. Moreover, where did he end up playing, and what was his role? A Stanley Cup champion no less as a member of the Florida Panthers. He was perhaps one of the best third-pair defenceman in the entire NHL. In other words, it was almost the perfect fit. Maybe that will be similar to Skinner’s impact with the Oilers.
The Oilers Signing of Forward Jeff Skinner
Sure the $3,000,000 might seem like a lot to be spending for a team against the cap. In contrast, for a player with his potential upside, the Oilers were more than happy to inject his high-end skill to their fold. Very much akin to the Panthers and Ekman-Larsson. And we will go one step further and say Skinner must be happy. A chance at a cup, and still a big payday, ideally, it is win-win.
Well the Oilers have an interesting lineup, so just what will Skinner bring to the fold? It had been thought that Edmonton lacked depth. A quick check of their leading scorers, and considering the drop-off after the top-six or so, the pessimism was founded. However, the team was so hot for such a long period of time in 2023-24, capped up with the Stanley Cup final appearance, people kind of forgot about it.
Plus there was personnel reasons explaining why people forgot about it. The acquisition of Adam Henrique, even the Corey Perry addition were important to the club’s DNA. Furthermore, come the playoffs especially, and the emergence of Connor Brown and Mattias Janmark really showed the club’s depth. Before some of those players stepping up, it really didn’t help the club’s case for forward depth that Evander Kane and his sports hernia injury really limited his effectiveness. In contrast, when you really boil to it, the Oilers could still use an offensive injection to the lineup. Enter 32-year-old Jeff Skinner.
Analyzing the Career Stats of Jeff Skinner
Skinner has played 1006 career NHL regular season contests and scored 357 goals. He doesn’t concern himself with playing defensively with a 60.4 oZS%. The Oilers have a few of these type of players such as the man himself, Connor McDavid, also Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. The point is, not that there could be a logjam, but that there should be candidates for Skinner to find chemistry with on the offensive schema of Head Coach Kris Knoblauch. It seems that the Hyman and McDavid connection is a lock, but after that, it really is anyone’s guess. Both players shared similar oZS% in 2023-24 with McDavid at 61.4% and Hyman 62.5%. Of course, the regular season is different. Maybe you could slot Skinner in on the top line to spread out the other big guns. However, come the playoffs, you’d think you’d need a bit more physicality out there with McDavid.
Back to Jeff Skinner’s stats for a moment. He did see his ice time slip a bit in 2023-24, from his career average of 16:59, he only played 16:00 a night for Buffalo last year. Perhaps as a by-product of this lessening of ice time, his productivity was down, with 24 goals and 22 assists for 46 points in 74 games played. Still he maintains a very consistent career shooting percentage at 11.2%. Moreover, one very impressive stat for Skinner, and could very well have been an influencing factor in acquiring the goal-scorer, is his career takeaway/giveaway differential. Skinner is a very reliable player, and his career +166 in that differential category speaks to his commitment to team. The six-time 30-goal scorer may very well be a great fit for Edmonton.
So, Just Where Will Skinner Fit in the Lineup?
It seems like Skinner is the perfect depth-scoring option. Ideally, he would slot in somewhere around the second line to flank Leon Draisaitl. But depending the chemistry and moving parts around, as coach Knoblauch is known for making adjustments based on the heart beat of his club on any given night, he could easily shift around. Evander Kane would be a factor and where he shifts around, assuming he is back at 100% for the fall. Conversely, Skinner could easily find himself paired up with McDavid, Nugent-Hopkins, or even Henrique to add scoring to the third line. In any case, at $3,000,000, Skinner, by all past indicators and the fact he is still just 32, should be a bargain. And for an Oilers team looking to stay on top (of the Western Conference at least), moves like this are not only nice to have, they’re required.
Main photo: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports
