SABRES NEED TO SIGN SKINNER
While the entire hockey world waits to see what the Leafs will do with William Nylander, there is an older free agent also worth paying attention to these days.
Jeff Skinner is in the final year of his contract. Based on his production so far this season, he’s about to hit the mother of all paydays.
The Buffalo Sabres winger, who scored yet another overtime winner on Tuesday against the San Jose Sharks, is tied for first in the NHL with 19 goals in 25 games. He’s a major reason why the Sabres have won 10 games in a row — he has 10 goals in that span — and why a team that had the worst record in the NHL last year is now leading the league with 36 points.
Think about that for a second.
The worst team in the NHL last year is now the best. That sort of turnaround is unheard of. And if the Sabres want to make sure they stay at the top, they need to re-sign Skinner.
The 26-year-old is from Toronto, so remaining in Buffalo makes geographical sense if he wants to remain close to his family. At the same time, with Edmonton and Los Angeles amongst the teams in dire need of a top-line winger who can fill the net, the market might not be better for a player who can essentially write his own cheque.
Skinner is earning $5.75-million this season. If he ends up with north of 40 goals — he’s on pace for 62 — you can expect him to be in the $8-million range. The good news for Buffalo is that Jason Pominville is also a free agent at the end of the year. The bad news is that along with Skinner and Jack Eichel, Pominville (nine goals and 18 points) is a big reason why the Sabres have looked so good.
At the same time, the team also needs to put some money aside when top pick Rasmus Dahlin’s entry-level contract expires in 2021.