Contract
Edmonton Oil sign winger Jeff Skinner to a one-year contract with an average annual value of $3 million.
Whenever anyone talks about Jeff Skinner, it seems like all they can do is focus on the negatives, the things he can’t do. He can’t play in traffic. He doesn’t go hard to the net. Too small (6’11”). Too skinny (180 lbs). He skates smoothly (that’s the background of figure skating), but he’s prone to long stretches of time where the goal can go cold. Not very good for someone known primarily as a scorer. And, so far, Buffalo Sabres The other day, Skinner bought out the last three years of his contract, a player who was paid far more than he produces. Skinner is not, and perhaps never was, a $9 million-a-year player.
Of course, none of that matters to the Oilers, who on Monday took a calculated risk and signed Skinner to a one-year, $3 million contract. The Oilers brought Skinner in once the initial rush to sign players subsided. Now that his salary has been cut by two-thirds, the risk/reward ratio suddenly tilts a little more favorably in the player’s direction. Because Skinner is just 32 years old. He’s 1,006 National Hockey League (NHL) In 2011, he won the Calder Trophy as NHL Rookie of the Year, and even in a down year like last year, he scored 24 goals in 74 games. In Edmonton, he only Zach Hyman, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl He scored over 24 goals last season and before this year Skinner had two consecutive 30-goal seasons, so he’s definitely a worthwhile bet.
From Skinner’s perspective, Edmonton is an attractive destination primarily for one reason. In a career that began 14 years ago, he has never played in a single NHL playoff game. That’s an NHL record. With the Oilers, given that they were one game away from winning the Stanley Cup last season, he’s almost guaranteed to get a chance to end that drought. Along with Viktor Arvidsson, signed earlier in the day, the Oilers added two natural scorers to their top nine — for reasonable dollars. Considering how many players were already off the roster when Skinner made the deal, that’s a decent late-game move.
Contract grade: B
Degree of adjustment: B
(Photo: Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images)