Jeff Skinner was a 30-plus goal scorer with the Buffalo Sabres in 2021-22 and 2022-23, but a lackluster 2023-24 season that saw him finish with just 46 points and 24 goals led to the Sabres buying out his contract.
But Skinner also struggled with injuries that season, which led to a decrease in production. After spending one year with the Edmonton Oilers that saw him score 16 goals in a depth scoring role, Skinner has since landed with the San Jose Sharks and has turned into one of their better points producers early in the season.
Through those first six games, Skinner has three goals and four points, and is leading the team in goals scored. What's even more impressive is that Skinner is doing all of this with just 13 minutes and 26 seconds of average total ice time, so it's not like he skated into San Jose and landed in a top-six role.
The Buffalo Sabres could have kept Jeff Skinner in town and reaped the benefits
Skinner had a bad year and was on the wrong side of 30 for a rebuilding team, so logistically, you could argue that he needed to go elsewhere. But the problem was, the Sabres weren't deep enough with proven talent to buy Skinner out.
They traded for Ryan McLeod and signed Jason Zucker that same summer, but without a surefire scorer like Skinner, the Sabres weren't much deeper. Signing Zucker the same summer that they bought out Skinner was a mere trade-off, but keeping Skinner until the Sabres could land a proven player would have worked in their best interest.
Fast-forward to 2025, when the Sabres traded JJ Peterka to the Utah Mammoth, it made for two players from that high-scoring 2022-23 team continuing their respective careers in the Western Conference. Imagine if Buffalo still had Skinner and Peterka right now. Chances are, they would be better off than their abysmal 2-4 start that has them 31st in scoring with 15 goals.
Jeff Skinner will find himself on a contender if he keeps this up
You can argue that the Sharks haven't fared any better, as they are still searching for a win. But the problem is, everybody knew this was going to be a bad year for the Sharks, who are still early in their long rebuild. And most likely, Skinner won't be in town long enough to see that rebuild through, as a contender will most likely end up trading for him around the 2026 deadline.
So, don't expect a reunion with the Sabres anytime soon if the Blue and Gold keep cutting ties with scoring talent like Skinner and Peterka. At this rate, Skinner will contend for the Stanley Cup should the Sharks trade him, while the Sabres will contend for Gavin McKenna.
That could be a decent trade-off if it all works out, but right now, It's a big 'if.' The takeaway is that the Sabres need to hang on to their current talent until they have a surefire replacement.