Does buying out Jeff Skinner make sense for the Sabres?

It appears that Jeff Skinner’s time with the Buffalo Sabres may be coming to an end.

General Manager Kevyn Adams told media on Thursday that “nothing is off the table” and that his team is going to look at every scenario.

“It’s not something I certainly will get into specifics and these types of things,” Adams said. “I know there’s rumors out there, rumblings and different scenarios.”

The Sabres signed Skinner to an eight-year, $72 million deal ahead of the 2019-20 season, and with three seasons to go, some might wonder if a buyout would even be worth it for a Sabres club that would have to pay Skinner nearly $20 million spread out over the next six seasons.

During the #AskDFO segment on Thursday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Frank Seravalli and Tyler Yaremchuk discuss the possibilities for Skinner’s future, and whether the team might be better served keeping the former 40-goal scorer in their lineup.

Tyler Yaremchuk: Bill Hoppe from the Olean Times Hearld tweeted this morning that “Kevyn Adams is vague on Jeff Skinner. Says nothing’s off the table, will look at every scenario.” Every scenario? Buyout?

Frank Seravalli: I know that’s been rumoured, but it feels premature to me. The reason for that is Skinner is one year removed from an 82-point season. He has 92 goals in the last three years, and the Sabres ranked 23rd in goals in 2023-24. The Sabres need more scoring, not less.

I know he’s not playing up to a $9 million level right now, but you also create six years of cap issues for your team if you buy him out, and if you get through one more year, the number of years drops to two.

I know the Sabres feel the need to make their team better now, and we all appreciate the pressure they’re facing, but even on a down year, whomever you’re bringing in will have to justify the loss of goal scoring you’d have if you buy him out.

You can watch the full segment and the rest of the episode here…