In a previous article, we talked about why a hypothetical Jeff Skinner trade would make sense for the Buffalo Sabres. Today, we’re on the same topic, except now it’s the opposite: Why trading a player like Jeff Skinner would make no sense for the Blue and Gold in 2024.
Okay, so before we go any further, you may be wondering why Jeff Skinner and not someone else closer to an expiring contract? For one, Skinner’s heading into his age-32 season, he’s due $10 million again this year, he’s mainly a one-dimensional player, and nobody else was more disappointing from a productivity standpoint - Skinner had just 46 points this past year despite still putting up 24 goals.
Despite holding a no-movement clause, which Skinner could still waive, he is the likeliest player to be traded. Alex Tuch, 28, is the only other player who would suit a blockbuster-style hypothetical trade like this, but it would be very, very tough to see general manager Kevyn Adams moving such a solid player he brought in a few years back.
As for Skinner, Adams inherited him and his monster contract, so it would be more likely for the general manager to get rid of someone like Skinner in favor of bringing in his own guy.
Despite the upside, trading Jeff Skinner may not make sense for the Sabres
We know Skinner was one of the Sabres better players when he first joined the team in 2018-19 before a pair of forgettable seasons possibly made the Sabres suffer through some buyer’s regret. That hasn’t been the case since 2021-22, and because Skinner has turned around his game for the better, that fact alone makes it easy to argue why trading him would make zero sense.
But let’s dive deeper than that and talk about three primary reasons hypothetically trading a player like Skinner in what should be an offseason of eye-popping roster transactions for the Sabres wouldn’t be such a good idea.