World best player Joins Buffalo Sabres In MLB 3-Team Blockbuster Trade…
When the Buffalo Sabres bought out Jeff Skinner’s contract, I knew he would end up with a team likely to contend for a playoff spot in the 2024-25. Barring some major breakdown, the Edmonton Oilers are shoo-ins to once again make a deep playoff run, and few deserve to play in the postseason more than Skinner.
While some may believe Skinner signed an ill-fated contract in 2019, the truth is, he played well for the Sabres after former head coach Don Granato took over for Ralph Krueger in 2021. In the first full season without Krueger at the helm, Skinner scored 33 goals, once again tied his career-high of 63 points, and he followed that up with a 35-goal season and a new career-high of 82 points.
He didn’t reach the same milestones this past season, but in his defense, Skinner was rarely 100 percent healthy, and he missed eight games thanks to various injuries. Still, 24 goals weren’t half-bad, and joining a team that features Connor McDavid, Zach Hyman, Evan Bouchard, Viktor Arvidsson, Adam Henrique, and if he sticks around, Leon Draisaitl, Skinner is yet another key fixture on a stacked and fun Oilers team.
During the latter half of the 2021-22 season and throughout 2022-23, Jeff Skinner was part of a surprising trio of first-liners that also featured Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch. The trio combined for 255 points and 118 goals that year, surpassing expectations by miles. And even if they couldn’t duplicate those numbers in 2023-24, they were nevertheless solid when playing alongside one another.
