Confirmed Trade: [CAR/BUF] Jeff Skinner for 2019 2nd, 2020 3rd and 6th, and Cliff Pu

[Thorton02]

I know I'm a random ass guy posting this but I've played with Skinner/Hamiltons older bro/seguin/mcfarland/matt o conner/ toffoli...etc etc I'm a 92 played in the gthl AAA many years ago with all these goofs.

To hear out of everyone I've played with that Skinner is a locker room cancer is hilarious. The guy was the quietest guy on any team he played on and also the nicest. He took goddamn figure skating as a kid and got ripped for it(turned out to be a blessing in disguise because he was the best skater out of everyone).

Skinner is a great person and I'm glad he succeeded.

Seguin on the other hand I dont have as kind words for as a person.


Again random ass guy here take it for what you want but skinner is a beaut.

-A leafs fan

That's good to hear. My post was more tongue in cheek because of some Canes fans saying Skinner was traded because of locker room issues.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

That's good to hear. My post was more tongue in cheek because of some Canes fans saying Skinner was traded because of locker room issues.

I think "locker room issues" is not the right term. By all accounts, Skinner was a good guy, even kind of quiet, and there were not any "locker room issues" per se that we know about. There are reports out that he wasn't very coachable though in terms of putting in the effort at both ends of the ice and being a team player.

Erik Cole: "We let Skinner get away with a lot of flaws"
Cole: We let Skinner get away with a lot of flaws :: WRALSportsFan.com

Rod Brind'Amour (back on July 2): "I've been around Jeff, I know him," Brind'Amour said. "Jeff's one of the smartest players we have. He knows how to play. I think he hasn't been held quite to the standard we need to hold him to. I think if he is, and realizes, 'Man, I've got to do it that way or I won't get out here,' I think you'll see a different Jeff Skinner. That's what I'm hoping, is that he comes back with that attitude."

With Skinner, it could be in how much ice time he receives, what line he's placed on by Brind'Amour.

"Now we've got guys to push him out of spots," Brind'Amour said. "If you're not going to quite dig in every shift then maybe you don't get every shift. That's definitely what I'm trying to preach and I've got to back that up.

What Brind'Amour plans to do if Jeff Skinner stays with the Hurricanes

This move is about accountability, culture change and sending the right message more than anything. It may end up backfiring, but that is what is behind this IMO.

 

[Bevans]

Blues should have offered Steen and a 2nd or two, if that's all it took to get a guy who scores 30 goals a year basically on his own.

I'd much prefer what Carolina got to taking on Steen's contract till he's 37. Hard pass.

 

[LGB51]

I'd much prefer what Carolina got to taking on Steen's contract till he's 37. Hard pass.

Aw come on, are you sure

 

[flyersfromquebec]

Bravo to the sabres organization...even EA is laughing at Carolina

 

[Chet Manley]

I think "locker room issues" is not the right term. By all accounts, Skinner was a good guy, even kind of quiet, and there were not any "locker room issues" per se that we know about. There are reports out that he wasn't very coachable though in terms of putting in the effort at both ends of the ice and being a team player.

Erik Cole: "We let Skinner get away with a lot of flaws"
Cole: We let Skinner get away with a lot of flaws :: WRALSportsFan.com

Rod Brind'Amour (back on July 2): "I've been around Jeff, I know him," Brind'Amour said. "Jeff's one of the smartest players we have. He knows how to play. I think he hasn't been held quite to the standard we need to hold him to. I think if he is, and realizes, 'Man, I've got to do it that way or I won't get out here,' I think you'll see a different Jeff Skinner. That's what I'm hoping, is that he comes back with that attitude."

With Skinner, it could be in how much ice time he receives, what line he's placed on by Brind'Amour.

"Now we've got guys to push him out of spots," Brind'Amour said. "If you're not going to quite dig in every shift then maybe you don't get every shift. That's definitely what I'm trying to preach and I've got to back that up.

What Brind'Amour plans to do if Jeff Skinner stays with the Hurricanes

This move is about accountability, culture change and sending the right message more than anything. It may end up backfiring, but that is what is behind this IMO.

Reminiscent of Hall and Eberle for the Oilers. So many young forwards signed for around 6m at the same time and it seems Logan Couture was the only one that was developed properly. Skinner might go on to do great things but sounds like both sides needed to move along.

 

[bleedgreen]

That's good to hear. My post was more tongue in cheek because of some Canes fans saying Skinner was traded because of locker room issues.

No Canes fan would say that and know what they’re talking about. Skinner was arguably the hardest working guy in the off season, was always available for the media and always seemed like a nice kid.

You could argue the losing didn’t seem to bother him enough. You could argue no coach could get him to consistently care about his own end. You can say he was a temperamental and petulant little brat his second through fourth seasons who stayed down too long screaming at refs every night until he grew up. This things would be true but I don’t think any Canes fan thinks Skinner had a bad attitude in the room.

New regime watched this team collapse yet again down the stretch. They knew it had a lot to do with goaltending but they obviously saw something we fans definitely also noticed. These guys caved. They didn’t seem to care enough about it either. That’s what the “culture change” was about. Skinner and Faulk being highlighted is BS and unfair to them. It wasn’t their fault, and those two deserve to see the turnaround more than anyone. New regime is playing the most obvious cards available to change the room up.

With Skinner it’s likely they made the decision that they’re not paying him 7+ a year to be as careless with the puck as he is. I agree they should’ve held on to the deadline and gotten a first but they were obviously dead set on the changes they wanted to be in place before this season started. We DO have a bunch of kids knocking that need to be seen, and if Skinner was gone anyways it does make some sense.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

Love this trade for the Sabres if Skinner can stay healthy. He is a terrific player when healthy. Also cudos to him for waiving his NTC to go to Buffalo. A great hockey city. Sends a big signal this is a team on the upswing. Obvious impact it upgrades the Sabres top 6. Jack Eichel is finally getting some talent to work with. A grade, if Skinner resigns A+.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Love this trade for the Sabres if Skinner can stay healthy. He is a terrific player when healthy. Also cudos to him for waiving his NTC to go to Buffalo. A great hockey city. Sends a big signal this is a team on the upswing. Obvious impact it upgrades the Sabres top 6. Jack Eichel is finally getting some talent to work with. A grade, if Skinner resigns A+.

Skinner has played 71 (wrist injury), 77, 82, 79 and 82 games in his last 5 years.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

Canes perspective, I like Cliff Pu. He is a solid prospect. Thought he was a good pick to be snagged 3rd rd. Should be a decent player. Doesn't have the upside to Skinner. But he is a solid prospect/player.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

Skinner has played 71 (wrist injury), 77, 82, 79 and 82 games in his last 5 years.

I know. I just mean if he remains concussion free. This is a worry to me for him. He plays without any fear, sort of like Hall. Hall found the right balance of playing without fear and still preserving his healthy last couple of years with NJ. Skinner potentially can do the same with Buffalo.

 

[Finlandia WOAT]

I know. I just mean if he remains concussion free. This is a worry to me for him. He plays without any fear, sort of like Hall. Hall found the right balance of playing without fear and still preserving his healthy last couple of years with NJ. Skinner potentially can do the same with Buffalo.

He hasn't sat out with concussion issues since 2013 because he adapted and doesn't play that kind of game anymore.

 

[sheriff bart]

Skinner has played 71 (wrist injury), 77, 82, 79 and 82 games in his last 5 years.

C'mon! You know he's...wait for it...wait for it...

One hit away

 

[La Cosa Nostra]

Since he entered the league Skinner has played 579 out of 622 possible games. He has missed 43 games total the past 8 seasons and 18 of those games missed were in one season. Skinners been been very durable the last 5 years.

People shouldn't rag on Carolina for this trade. Skinner had a full NMC. He held all the cards. If Skinner will only take one destination then Buffalo knows that they don't need to offer a big trade package to get him. The Sabres 2nd should be in the top half of the second round but hopefully it's a pick in the 50s if all goes well

 

[Mattilaus]

Waddell also said Skinner didn't turn down any offers, but said the list of teams he was given that Skinner would accept a trade to was quite small.

Truth probably lies somewhere in between.

Fair enough, I wasn't aware of what Waddell had said. You are probably correct.

 

[bleedgreen]

He wanted to be close to home. He’s from Markham. The list was “very small”. You can look at a map and guess the two top teams, and it may not have been a list longer than two.

 

[Mattilaus]

And no they probably couldn't get that 1st round pick from STL or SJS. The Blues are absolutely stacked offensively already and Sharks committed to Kane.

Pretty sure he was saying they should have been able to get SJ and STL picks from Buffalo. You know, since Buffalo owns both those picks. He is saying buffalo should have paid more, not that SJ or STL should have traded for skinner.

 

[Thorton02]

Canes perspective, I like Cliff Pu. He is a solid prospect. Thought he was a good pick to be snagged 3rd rd. Should be a decent player. Doesn't have the upside to Skinner. But he is a solid prospect/player.

All Poo jokes aside, I really think he'll be part of the Canes org for a long time. He's smart and fast. Even if his scoring doesn't translate, he can skate and take faceoffs. At worst you've got your 3rd line center for the next 7 years. I bet he can play above his position at times which is what you want for middle six forwards.

 

[Jerkob Slavin]

Buffalo wins the trade but it’s beyond obvious that Carolina is viewing this as addition by subtraction (or else this is a deadline deal instead).

Skinner is a dynamic “one man show” and can put up highlight reel goals and big numbers. He has also shown the ability in the past to play at least passable defense. That’s the most frustrating part of his game... inconsistency. He has the tools and ability. He just seems to lose focus and determination. There is a very good chance that he explodes this season since it is a contract year. Those tend to be quite motivating.

 

[1972]

Buffalo might get a first and a better prospect then Pu for Skinner at the deadline...

 

[1972]

All Poo jokes aside, I really think he'll be part of the Canes org for a long time. He's smart and fast. Even if his scoring doesn't translate, he can skate and take faceoffs. At worst you've got your 3rd line center for the next 7 years. I bet he can play above his position at times which is what you want for middle six forwards.

I think the offense dries up for Pu at the next level, but he could very well turn into a Letestu type depth forward.

 

[DoobieDubas]

While I agree the return for Skinner was disappointing, I think you are off base on the message sending part. Because that’s exactly what this was, sending a message that if you aren’t committed to playing the game the way the team/coach wants you to, then there’s no place for you.

Rod Brind’Amour was very involved in this decision and Rod knows more about Skinner than anybody else, having been the assistant coach for 7 of Skinner’s 8 pro seasons. The fact that he didn’t want him on the team is telling and a big reason they moved him now for less rather than wait for the deadline. In the end, Brindy may be wrong, but I don’t see this as a bad message at all.

Skinner is an elite goal scorer and by all accounts a good guy, but he also didn’t put in the effort on both ends of the ice and at times was a very selfish player and that’s the main reason he was traded. He has shown at times that he can put in the effort on both ends and be more of a team player so it wouldn’t surprise me to see him do that in Buffalo.

I can see your points.. this is just my opinion but I believe you/brindimour(biggest beauty) saying he is selfish on the ice is partially a reflection of the quality of players he has been playing with/centers he has played with. I could be wrong i havent checked 1 stat in regards to this but that just an outside perspective regarding on ice selfishness.

Off-ice there is no issues with the guy. I see this like you said... he's been here for 8 years no playoffs its time for both sides to move on but i dont think IMO it has to do with his attitude or anything like that rather than managements philosophy on tactical play style deployment.

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

I'm a Buffalo fan but is Skinner the first person ever to turn down moving to LA to come to Buffalo? He must really be homesick.

 

[The S5]

Bravo to the sabres organization...even EA is laughing at Carolina

Skinner is the most non-prolific 30 goal scorer in the NHL. The guy is as soft as a baby's butt and plays half the ice.
Its not as if he was leading the Canes to deep playoff runs.
Good riddance.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

I can see your points.. this is just my opinion but I believe you/brindimour(biggest beauty) saying he is selfish on the ice is partially a reflection of the quality of players he has been playing with/centers he has played with. I could be wrong i havent checked 1 stat in regards to this but that just an outside perspective regarding on ice selfishness.

Part of it could be attributable to line mates, but the tried him with E Staal, with J Staal, with Lindholm, etc. And it wasn’t just about being selfish at times, it was not always putting in effort in all zones and being careless with the puck in the neutral zone.

Off-ice there is no issues with the guy. I see this like you said... he's been here for 8 years no playoffs its time for both sides to move on but i dont think IMO it has to do with his attitude or anything like that rather than managements philosophy on tactical play style deployment.

Like I said, he’s not a locker room cancer by any means from what I can tell, but I do think it’s a bit more than just time to move on. Still, I’m a fan of Skinner and he has shown at times he can play hard in all 3 zones and when he does, he’s a real big asset. Playing with Eichel, getting a fresh start, and being closer to home may do wonders for him. Let’s not forget that he scored 37 goals just 2 seasons ago.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

I'm a Buffalo fan but is Skinner the first person ever to turn down moving to LA to come to Buffalo? He must really be homesick.

I thought I saw somewhere that he has a girlfriend now? Maybe he wants to be closer to her? Just speculation.