The Buffalo Sabres are desperate to get back to the Stanley Cup playoffs and general manager Kevyn Adams is planning to make that happen in the 2024-25 season. He took one step on Saturday as the Sabres bought out veteran center Jeff Skinner and turned the 32-year-old into a free agent.
The buyout is a signal that the Sabres will be quite active in the free agent market that will begin July 1. The Sabres have more than $31 million in cap space available.
Skinner has been with the Sabres since the start of the 2018-19 season after playing the first eight years of his career with the Carolina Hurricanes. At the time the Sabres traded for Skinner, they were hoping he would be a mainstay for a team that would get back to the playoffs
Skinner was able to become a 40-goal scorer in his first year with the Sabres, but he was not a consistent performer throughout the rest of his tenure in upstate New York. He followed his 40-goal season with back-to-back years of 14 goals and 7 goals.
He was able to bounce back with 33- and 35-goal seasons, but he had just 24 goals and 46 points last year. It seemed clear that he was not the kind of player the Sabres could count on for leadership and making the kind of plays that lead a team to the postseason.
Skinner could be an attractive performer for a team that needs a second- or third-line center
While consistency has not been the hallmark of Skinner's career, he has shown that he can put the puck in the net and become a significant offensive factor. The fact that he had his best offensive season in his first year with the Sabres could be an indicator to potential suitors that he could become a solid addition for a team that is looking to upgrade their offensive capabilities.
In addition to playing center, Skinner is also capable of manning the left wing position. Teams may be more willing to give him an opportunity to play that position rather than center going forward in his career. Skinner's strengths would appear to be on offense at this point in his career. However, a new environment with a new coach could result in Skinner doing a more thorough job and performing better on defense.
Skinner started his career as if he was going to become an NHL superstar. He scored 31 goals and 32 assists and won the Calder Trophy as the league's rookie of the year.
Sabres will save more than $7.5 million by cutting Skinner
The buyout cost will last six seasons and the Sabres will save $7,555,556 in 2024-25. They will also save more than $4.5 million in 2025-26 and $2.5 million in 2026-27, according to PuckPedia.
Skinner has played in more than 1,000 regular-season games and he has scored 357 goals, 313 assists and 670 points. Despite playing in the NHL since 2010, he has never participated in the playoffs.
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