The next big move that the Edmonton Oilers are making is signing forward Jeff Skinner to a one-year contract. The deal carries an AAV of $3M.
Skinner, 32, is coming off a 24-goal, 46-point season with the Buffalo Sabres before having the remainder of his contract bought out.
Who is Jeff Skinner?
Now a longtime NHLer entering his fifteenth season in the big leagues, Skinner has played for just two teams. The Carolina Hurricanes, with whom he spent the first eight seasons of his career, and the Buffalo Sabres, where he has been since 2018-19.
He broke into the league with a bang as he won the Calder Trophy back in 2010–11 with a 31-goal, 63-point rookie campaign. Since then, his production has been all over the place. Most years he is a completely average mid-line forward hitting 40-50 points. He has hit 63 points four times in his career and a career-high 82 points in 2022-23. But for others, he is incredibly disappointing. Including a 14-point season in 2020-21.
| Season | Tm | GP | G | A | PTS | ATOI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-11 | CAR | 82 | 31 | 32 | 63 | 16:44 |
| 2011-12 | CAR | 64 | 20 | 24 | 44 | 18:37 |
| 2012-13 | CAR | 42 | 13 | 11 | 24 | 18:28 |
| 2013-14 | CAR | 71 | 33 | 21 | 54 | 17:12 |
| 2014-15 | CAR | 77 | 18 | 13 | 31 | 16:03 |
| 2015-16 | CAR | 82 | 28 | 23 | 51 | 16:17 |
| 2016-17 | CAR | 79 | 37 | 26 | 63 | 17:44 |
| 2017-18 | CAR | 82 | 24 | 25 | 49 | 16:42 |
| 2018-19 | BUF | 82 | 40 | 23 | 63 | 18:31 |
| 2019-20 | BUF | 59 | 14 | 9 | 23 | 16:29 |
| 2020-21 | BUF | 53 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 14:31 |
| 2021-22 | BUF | 80 | 33 | 30 | 63 | 17:06 |
| 2022-23 | BUF | 79 | 35 | 47 | 82 | 17:24 |
| 2023-24 | BUF | 74 | 24 | 22 | 46 | 16:00 |
| 8 yrs | CAR | 579 | 204 | 175 | 379 | 17:06 |
| 6 yrs | BUF | 427 | 153 | 138 | 291 | 16:50 |
| Career | 14 yrs | 1006 | 357 | 313 | 670 | 16:59 |
Provided by Hockey-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 7/1/2024.
Skinner has played 1006 games in the NHL and has never played a playoff game, becoming the first player to do this. He is hoping that joining the Oilers means he will finally end that streak.
Where will Jeff Skinner fit in the Oilers lineup?
Logically, based on his production level, he slots in as a second-line forward. And there does seem to be a logical fit with Leon Draisaitl. But with the other signing of the day being Viktor Arvidsson, a somewhat similar shot-first specialist type of player, the fit may not work out.
It may end up being that the scoring winger who is on a hot streak gets to play with Draisaitl and the other is on the third line for lineup composition purposes.
Skinner does not contribute much outside of shooting, he is especially noted as a non-contributor defensively which makes it hard to find the right line to compliment and cover his game.
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