Can Jeff Skinner find comfort on a line with former teammate Eric Staal?

Eric Staal and Jeff Skinner used to be teammates in Carolina, but now they’ve teamed up with the Buffalo Sabres. Does that mean anything, though?

We’re still several months away from the start of the NHL season, which means we’re still several months away from seeing what the Buffalo Sabres’ improved roster is truly made of.

Some fans are convinced the Buffalo Sabres are a playoff team with the addition of Taylor Hall. Others know that getting too far ahead of yourself is a dangerous game — especially with this team.

Although I’m one of the ones that believe the Sabres are destined for the playoffs, I also know this team still has a wide range of holes to fill and even more question marks heading into the season.

What do we do with Rasmus Ristolainen? What lines do we put Sam Reinhart and Victor Olofsson on? Are there any prospects we can turn to? Are Linus Ullmark and Carter Hutton good enough to lead this team to the playoffs? Where do the new depth players fit into the mix?

All of these questions need to be answered before the season and they’re sure to have an effect on the team’s success. With that being said, there’s one question I keep asking myself and it’s one I don’t think enough people are wondering:

Is Jeff Skinner going to live up to his contract? 

One of the things Buffalo has done extremely well throughout this nine-year playoff drought is dish out one bad contract after the next. It puts the team in a difficult position, makes us look bad to the rest of the league, disrupts the growth and development of the franchise, and creates an enormous amount of angst among players and fans alike.

When I look at the offseason we just had, I see a lot of contracts that put the team in a good position. Taylor Hall’s one-year contract gives the team flexibility moving forward. Olofsson and Reinhart are still restricted free agents after their contracts are up. A majority of our depth was added to one-year deals and we added several talented prospects to the pool.

It’s what this team needed, but it unfortunately doesn’t solve the issues brought on by former general managers — such as the Jeff Skinner contract. His 8-year, $72 million seemed like the right thing to do at the time, but it quickly backfired on them last year. Does that mean it’ll continue to haunt them? Not necessarily.

After 8 consistently productive seasons in Carolina, he started the 2018-19 season with Buffalo. Not only did he score a career-high 40 goals with the team, but he tied his career-best with 63 points in 82 games.

Did he deserve the money he got following the season? Certainly. Was it smart to sign him for 8 years? Probably not, but only time will tell.

So far, time hasn’t been kind. Skinner took a MAJOR step back last season. Sure, it was a shortened season and we don’t know how it would’ve ended, but in the 59 games he played, he only scored 14 goals and 9 assists. Keep in mind, he had 36 goals and 18 assists through 59 games in his first year with the team.

Coaches aren’t happy with his production last season, the owners aren’t happy, teammates aren’t happy, fans aren’t happy, and most importantly, Jeff Skinner’s not happy with it.

Simply put, we need more from him this season — but how much more can we get? 

Well, there are several things working in Skinner’s favor this season. Obviously, the Sabres are sporting a much more talented roster — especially with their top-six. It should help relieve some of the pressure off Skinner and allow him to focus on what he does best — score.

Keep in mind, a lot of Skinner’s troubles last season were synonymous with being on the same line as Marcus Johansson. The two were horrible together and weren’t what the Sabres needed in their middle-six.

That’s why I feel the key to Skinner’s success this season is Eric Staal — the player Kevyn Adams traded Marcus Johansson for earlier this offseason. The two have a history together and it’s one of the reasons why the Sabres pulled the trigger (as well as his relationship with Kevyn Adams).

For those that don’t know, Eric Staal spent a majority of his career with the Carolina Hurricanes, the same team Skinner spent 8 years of his career with. In fact, the two played together for six seasons and played on the same line often.

Even as a rookie, Skinner spent time on the Hurricanes’ top-line with Eric Staal — despite Skinner being the youngest player in the NHL at the time. While they weren’t always on the same line, they were as consistent as they come when on the ice.

In the six years they were on the same team, Jeff Skinner played in 418 games, scored 143 goals, and recorded 124 assists. During that same span, Eric Staal played in 430 games, scored 129 goals, and recorded 218 assists.

With Johansson gone and Skinner likely playing with Staal on the second line, the Sabres can finally start to roll out several productive lines each game. It doesn’t mean we’ll get the same level of production we saw from them in Carolina, but it’s better than what we had — MUCH BETTER.

Of course, you also have to consider who Eric Staal and Jeff Skinner will be playing alongside. While that’s one of the many questions we need answered, there are three names receiving a lot of attention — Sam Reinhart, Dylan Cozens, and Victor Olofsson.

If the Sabres go with one of these three, they’ll have one of the best top-six forward groups in the NHL. Combine that with a coach like Krueger, who knows how to get the most out of his players, and you’ve got a team that’s starting to prove themselves.

So, what can we expect from Jeff Skinner this year? 

Considering the NHL is thinking about either a 48-game or 65-game season (nothing is official yet) due to the late start, we need to be realistic here.

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Earlier, we mentioned how Skinner scored 36 goals and 18 assists through the first 59 games during the 2018-19 season. Those numbers dipped to 14 goals in 9 assists in 59 games last season (shortened season).

It’d be nice to see him put up similar numbers as his 2018-19 campaign and it’s certainly possible, but that’s because anything is possible. While it’s what we need from him based on his contract, it’ll be difficult to imitate that this season.

Personally, I want him to get around 0.75 points per game played. The Buffalo Sabres only had two players achieve that last season — Jack Eichel (1.15) and Victor Olofsson (0.78). If we can get 0.75 P/GP from Skinner, it’ll be nearly double what he had last year (0.39).

What about you, Sabres’ fans? What are you expecting from Jeff Skinner this season? Can he return to form and find comfortability on a line with his old pal from Caroline? Or will he continue to underperform his contract?

We really hope you enjoyed this blog about our beloved Buffalo Sabres. We look forward to continuing the conversation with the best fans in the world down below in the comments section.