The Edmonton Oilers signed Jeff Skinner to a 1-year, $3 million contract on July 1st, after his contract was bought out by the Buffalo Sabres. Skinner has never made the playoffs in his career, but he hopes to change that now by joining the Stanley Cup contending Oilers. He began his career with the Carolina Hurricanes before signing with the Buffalo Sabres. However, he has yet to experience postseason hockey, enduring a 14-year playoff drought. Last season with the Sabres, Skinner notched 24 goals and 22 assists for 46 points. Despite having 3 years left on his contract in Buffalo before being bought out, he is now looking forward to the chase a Stanley Cup with the high-flying Oilers.
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Skinner’s Career
Jeff Skinner started his NHL career with the Carolina Hurricanes after being drafted in the first round, 7th overall in the 2010 NHL draft. He signed a 3-year entry-level contract with the Hurricanes and scored 379 points over 9 seasons, making him the seventh-highest point scorer in the team’s history. Skinner became the youngest player ever to participate in the NHL All-Star Game and won the Calder Memorial Trophy for best rookie in the 2010–11 season. After eight seasons with the Hurricanes, he was traded to the Sabres in 2018. In his first year with Buffalo, Skinner scored 40 goals, but his performance was inconsistent in subsequent seasons. He followed up his 40-goal campaign with back-to-back years of 14 goals and 7 goals. Despite some ups and downs, Skinner showed remarkable durability, missing minimal games throughout his 1,006-games career so far.
Shocking Record
Jeff Skinner has made NHL history by playing in his 1,000th game without ever participating in a playoff matchup. This is a rare, but sad achievement; out of the 395 players who’ve reached the 1,000-game mark, Skinner is the only one who hasn’t experienced postseason play. His time in Carolina coincided with a struggling team, and the Sabres have also faced difficulties making the playoffs since 2010-11, now surpassing the Hurricanes’ record for the longest playoff drought with 13 consecutive seasons. Skinner’s 14-year NHL career has been marked by consistent play, but he has yet to experience the excitement of playoff hockey. He hopes this will change now that he’s with the Edmonton Oilers, a team that has consistently made the playoffs in recent years.
Skinner’s Analytics
Edmonton is on their way to a stanley cup victory in 2025.