Buffalo Sabres to buy out remainder of Jeff Skinner’s contract

Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams announced on Saturday that the team will be buying out the remainder of winger Jeff Skinner‘s contract.

The 32-year-old forward had three years remaining on his deal with a $9 million cap hit. The buy out leaves the Sabres with a $1.44 million cap hit in 2024-25, $4.4 million in ’25-’26 and it peaks during year three, when it goes up to $6.44 million. The final three seasons will cost the Sabres $2.4 million annually against the cap.

Skinner can still score at a very good clip, coming off a 24-goal campaign. After originally signing an eight-year $72-million contract with then GM Jason Botterill, Skinner has spent the past six seasons in Buffalo and has scored a combined 153 goals, including a 40-goal season his first year with the team. The shifty winger averaged 15:59 of ice-time a night last season, which included an average of 2:35 a night on the power play. It’s not going to take long for Skinner to find a new home.

The Toronto, ON native will be hearing from a number of teams this offseason as scoring goals is still the hardest thing to do in hockey. Skinner, despite his defensive deficiencies, which obviously played a factor in the Sabres’ decision, along with the cap hit, can still put up goals in bunches. The likes of the Nashville Predators, Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Calgary Flames, and New York Islanders all could use some more secondary scoring.

Then there’s also the Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks of the world who are in the market for veteran forwards to help mentor their young core. At the end of the day, Skinner, who did hold a no-movement clause on his last contract, controls his own destiny this offseason.

As for Adams and the Sabres, buying out Skinner sets them up with a projected $31.7 million in cap space, giving Adams tons of money to work with to try and get Buffalo over the hump next season.