Buffalo Sabres: Revisiting Jeff Skinner’s ‘ill-fated’ contract extension
By Sion Fawkes
Remember when the Buffalo Sabres signed Jeff Skinner to what became one of the most castigated extensions in NHL history?
When something occurs just once, you might shrug your shoulders and call it a fluke. But if it happens a second time, then it might draw your interest. And in the case of Buffalo Sabres winger Jeff Skinner, that’s exactly what’s going on as the 2022-23 NHL Season enters its third act.
As of February 25th, Skinner has 58 points in 54 contests, 24 goals, ad 34 assists. And barring something unforeseen, he will shatter his previous career-high of 63 points, something he hit on four different occasions throughout his career, including last season, when he enjoyed a career renaissance.
That said, do we really, at this point in time, need to keep calling Jeff Skinner’s contract extension he signed in June 2019 one of the worst in team history? Maybe it’s time to reverse that narrative, considering the fact that the 30-year-old is currently set to score 85 points this season if he continues his current pace.
Jeff Skinner’s contract with the Buffalo Sabres is no longer ‘ill-fated’
Skinner’s contract extension carried an AAV of $9 million through 2027. A frontloaded deal, Skinner made and will make $10 million per season until 2024-25, $7 million in 2025-26, and finally, $5 million in 2026-27. Initially, this extension looked horrendous, given Skinner’s numbers between 2019-20 and 2020-21.
Through 59 games in 2019-20, he totaled 23 points, 14 goals, and 9 assists, before bottoming out at 14 points, 7 goals, and 7 assists in 53 games just one season later. Naturally, the extension was laughable and understandably regarded as one of the worst not only in franchise history, but arguably one of the worst in NHL history.
However, things changed in 2021-22, when Skinner enjoyed a resurgent season that included 33 goals and 30 assists for a total of 63 points. His performance turned heads, but one resurgent year still wasn’t enough in the eyes of many to call this contract anything more than a raw deal. What’s one season, right?
Fast-forward to 2022-23, and Skinner is once again enjoying a remarkable year. As mentioned, he has 58 points already and will shatter his career-high of 63, barring any serious injury between now and the final whistle on April 14th.
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As it stands, Skinner’s contract isn’t as poor as it initially looked. And if he can hit the 85 point mark that he is on pace for, there is no way you can claim Skinner’s extension as one of the worst ever. Sure, he had a couple of bad seasons, but he’s on pace to also have as many good seasons. Ultimately, we will need to hold out before we make a final judgment on Skinner’s contract.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference, Contract data provided by Cap Friendly)
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