‘Nothing off the table’ regarding Skinner’s future with Sabres

Some light has been shed on a veteran scorer’s future.

During his pre-draft media availability on Thursday, Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams was asked about the team’s plans for forward Jeff Skinner. There has been a lot of speculation that the Sabres are open to moving on from the 32-year-old this offseason.

“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. What I can tell you is–from the day our season ended and with my conversations with Terry [Pegula] and kind of where we go from here. Every single thing that we’re doing this offseason, we try to ask the question, ‘Does this help our team get better?’…Nothing’s off the table, and we’re going to talk about everything. We’re going to look at every scenario.”

Skinner has come under scrutiny throughout his tenure in Buffalo, which began he was traded by the Carolina Hurricanes in August 2018. A lot of the criticism has been based on his play in relation to his contract that he signed in June 2019, then under GM Jason Botterill. The Toronto native signed an eight-year, $72 million contract, with a full no-move clause, which still has three more years on it.

If the Sabres were to buy out Skinner, the remaining $27 million would be chopped down to $14,666,667, and spread out over the next seasons. Buffalo will be charged $2,444,445 annually over that time.

The 2011 Calder Trophy winner is coming off a rocky 2023-24 campaign, scoring 24 goals and 46 points in 74 games, his lowest totals since scoring 14 points in 53 games during the COVID-shortened 2021 season. It is a letdown of sorts, as Skinner posted a career-high 82 points during the 2022-23 season.

In 1,006 NHL games, Skinner scored 357 goals and 313 assists for 670 points, and is one of the highest-scoring active players that has yet to make an appearance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.