The Buffalo Sabres could use some veteran depth among the forwards and have a chance to bring back a former player to address the need. On Monday, the San Jose Sharks added Jeff Skinner to waivers to terminate his contract, which will allow him to sign as a free agent once he clears waivers.
Jeff Skinner spent six seasons in Buffalo from 2018-19 through the 2023-24 season and played in 427 games and finished with 291 points. In the six seasons in Western New York, he had 30 or more goals in three of them and set a career-high in points in 2022-23 with 82.
After his first season with the Sabres, he signed an eight-year contract but played only five seasons of that deal before he was bought out during the 2024 offseason. The irony shouldn't be lost on fans: Buffalo is already paying Skinner nearly $4.5 million this year to play elsewhere. Bringing him back on a league-minimum deal would essentially mean getting a 'discounted' version of a player they are still paying for.
Over the past two seasons, Skinner has played in 104 games between his time with the Edmonton Oilers and San Jose Sharks, with 22 combined goals and 20 assists during this period.
Jeff Skinner is worth signing as a free agent to give the Buffalo Sabres scoring depth
The Buffalo Sabres have had to deal with a number of injuries among their forwards, including players like Josh Norris, Zach Benson, Jordan Greenway, and Justin Danforth. The hope is that the Olympic break gives each of these players time to get fully healthy and return once Buffalo is back on the ice later this month.
However, the injuries have also shown a need to add some depth for this part of the roster, especially their Top 9. A goal scorer like Jeff Skinner could help in that regard and give Lindy Ruff more options as he tries to build out his lines, especially when there is an injury.
Skinner is also a player who could factor into the power play if the Sabres want to shake up that part of their roster as well.
For the Buffalo Sabres, they shouldn't expect to get the same player that Skinner was during his time in Western New York. Jarmo Kekalainen should continue to make calls around the league to add more scoring, but a player like Jeff Skinner is a low-risk, high-reward type move that could give them an insurance policy if injuries pop up over the course of the remainder of the season.