*Photo from Expected Buffalo*
More scoring power going to oil country. The Edmonton Oilers and forward Jeff Skinner have agreed to a one year, $3 million contract, according to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff. The Oilers have made the signing official.
Last season, Skinner had a solid yet unspectacular season for the Buffalo Sabres, his 6th year in Buffalo. He potted 24 goals and added 22 assists for 46 points, averaging 16 minutes of ice time per game while recording a -2 rating in 74 games.
It didn't stop the Sabres from buying out the final 3 years of his contract just before free agency opened, allowing Skinner to hit the open market. He was making $9 million per season with the Sabres in his previous contract. The Sabres got an extra $7.55 million in cap space for the coming season but will have to pay Skinner almost $15 million of the $22 million left in his contract for 6 years.
The buyout came as the Sabres are transitioning again, having fired Don Granato as head coach and replacing him with Lindy Ruff, who coached the Sabres the last time they made the playoffs in 2011. The 13 year playoff drought is the longest streak in the NHL.
Oilers CEO of hockey operations Jeff Jackson said of the addition that "With Jeff Skinner, he’s obviously a guy that’s had a long career, who has scored a lot of goals in the League. A couple of years ago he had 82 points. He’s a very good player, a very smart player, that can play with lots of skilled players."
Skinner has played for the Sabres and Carolina Hurricanes in his career, spanning 14 seasons. He has 357 goals and 313 assists for 670 points, posting a -130 rating while averaging 16:59 of ice time per game over 1,006 regular season games. Skinner has never played in the postseason in his career.
Asked about joining the Sabres, Skinner said "For me personally, getting a chance to be a part of that group I think is a great feeling, it gets you excited. Obviously there’s a ton of work to do; I think everyone realizes that. But being able to play with that group, I’m sure they’ve gained a lot of useful experience on the run they went on and I’m hoping to slide in, be a piece of the puzzle and contribute, and I’m excited to get going."
The Oilers have spent a lot of the offseason re-signing players from their Stanley Cup run, bringing back Corey Perry, Mattias Janmark, Adam Henrique, Troy Stecher, and Connor Brown. Skinner and Josh Brown have been the lone external additions.
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