Player Discussion Jeff Skinner

[Doug Prishpreed]

That would give us eight years of cap hits. LOL. $1.67 million, $1.67, $4.67, $6.67, $2.67, $2.67, $2.67, $2.67. We would have to be close to cup in 2023-24 or 2024-25 to consider that.

Buyout will happen in summer of 2025 unless there is a compliance one.

(And he's not noticeably slower at all. He's a leader in league in drawn penalties. He can't score. Geoff Sanderson syndrome now in Buffalo.)

That’s still over $6M in savings per season. You can absolutely find a better player for $2.67M less than he makes. I don’t see any way he makes it to 2025 on this team.

He also doesn’t seem to listen to coaches, that stuff rubs off. Every coach has gotten fed up with him his whole career. It’s worth paying a few million to prevent him from further damaging the culture.

 

[HaNotsri]

Two years after extension:
Matt Moulson 158 22 31 53 0.335 ppg
Jeff Skinner 112 21 16 37 0.330 ppg

Last two seasons:
Kyle Okposo 87 11 21 32 0.36 ppg

Jeff is worse than the corpse of Okposo.

 

[joshjull]

That’s still over $6M in savings per season. You can absolutely find a better player for $2.67M less than he makes. I don’t see any way he makes it to 2025 on this team.

He also doesn’t seem to listen to coaches, that stuff rubs off. Every coach has gotten fed up with him his whole career. It’s worth paying a few million to prevent him from further damaging the culture.

No it isn’t. If he’s bought out in the summer of 2023. The first three years of caps hits are 1.67, 4.67 and 6.67mil before it’s four years of 2.67.

That’s always been the issue with his buyout. The cap savings fluctuates too much in the first 3 years. It will cause chaos for roster building.

If he’s bought out in 2025 his cap hits will be 4mil, 6mil, 2mil, 2mil. Which is less fluctuation but still not the greatest savings for his last two years of that deal. Something that can’t be avoided.

 

[jc17]

For as much hate as Ralph got, skinner didn't really breakout after he left.

One of the things I've found myself thinking about was the preseason blue/gold scrimmage.

Looking back a lot of the teams flaws were evident that we kind of chalked up to it being a preseason scrimmage.

Skinner didn't do much, Staal was slow, reinhart couldn't generate much offense playing with Staal and olofsson despite playing against AHL talent...

One of the things I want to see don do with skinner is allow his annoying forecheck. He's a much more effective player when he's able to have some freedom on the forecheck. I'm not really sure why that became less frequent as the season progressed

 

[Der Jaeger]

If he gets back on track, sweet. If not, put him in the bottom 6 until he asks for a trade.

 

[Fezzy126]

For as much hate as Ralph got, skinner didn't really breakout after he left.

One of the things I've found myself thinking about was the preseason blue/gold scrimmage.

Looking back a lot of the teams flaws were evident that we kind of chalked up to it being a preseason scrimmage.

Skinner didn't do much, Staal was slow, reinhart couldn't generate much offense playing with Staal and olofsson despite playing against AHL talent...

One of the things I want to see don do with skinner is allow his annoying forecheck. He's a much more effective player when he's able to have some freedom on the forecheck. I'm not really sure why that became less frequent as the season progressed

I'm not seeing any age-related decline. He's still among team leaders in most individual shot metrics, drawn penalties, and takeaways. Shooting percentage and rush attempts were both down because of Ralph's system.

While his individual numbers didn't rebound, the Skinner-Reinhart-Olofsson line did have a 57% GF% down the stretch.

 

[HogtownSabresfan]

That’s still over $6M in savings per season. You can absolutely find a better player for $2.67M less than he makes. I don’t see any way he makes it to 2025 on this team.

He also doesn’t seem to listen to coaches, that stuff rubs off. Every coach has gotten fed up with him his whole career. It’s worth paying a few million to prevent him from further damaging the culture.

Stop buying into culture garbage. It's junk. I've been hearing it through a decade of crappy players. We traded away a GREAT player in O'Reilly for garbage players and prospects that haven't panned out. Don't trade O'Reilly. Team is better. Keep Kane. Team is Better. Keep Lehner. Team in better. Nothing wrong with trades but when all you sign is crap....

The Sabres entered last season with one sort of proven injury-prone goalie and another guy with severe vision problems on the down side of his career we thought we'd let play it out. Then we threw out ECHL goalies and rookie in JJ.

The problem in Buffalo is TALENT.

For all the cap savings you get now (and it's virtually nil in 2022-23 and very little in 2026-27), you have Skinner on books for an extra six years at almost $2.5 M. Cripple the future. Why not?

Or you can get Skinner back to 25-goal game which is really worth maybe $3.5 M today and live with a terrible salary that should have been a $7.5 M cap hit at the time if the Pegulas were bot bidding against themselves.

The 2025-26 season leaves us with only a cap hit for four years and we save in the first time. It's pretty much the best solution short a trade (he can block) which will require picks and maybe eating half his cap hit.

Buying him out before 2023-24 isn't a terrible option either. Four extra years at $2.667 for four years of savings when we MIGHT be good.

If he gets bought out this week, it is for one reason and on reason only. It will save the Pegulas $14.8 M. And I guarantee if he signs with the Leafs next day for $2 M to $3 M and scores 30 on either Tavares or Matthews line.

 

[OkimLom]

If he's not playing his game by the time the next TDL rolls around, I'll be ready to write him off and looking to get him off the team for whatever price. Last year, I'm chalking it up to a guy getting into a funk because of differences with the head coach, and him digging himself a hole so deep, he wasn't able to get out. He has no excuse this upcoming season.

I'm not holding any statistical expectations, but I want to see him playing the game that had him getting under teams' skin, drawing penalties, and just being a P.I.T.A. If he brings that, the offense will follow, but if he's not playing that way, he's going to be checked out and useless.

 

[dasaybz]

If he gets back on track, sweet. If not, put him in the bottom 6 until he asks for a trade.

He's not getting traded hahahah. Come on man.

 

[HaNotsri]

Question: Do you think Skinner knows he sucks or is he making up excuses: "it's not me it's the coach/team" etc?

Okposo changed his game and while I still think he's bad he hasn't hurt the team the same way Skinner does.

 

[Buffaloed]

Question: Do you think Skinner knows he sucks or is he making up excuses: "it's not me it's the coach/team" etc?

Okposo changed his game and while I still think he's bad he hasn't hurt the team the same way Skinner does.

I expect Granato to spend a lot of time looking at game tapes of Skinner that go back years. He'll try to identify things that made him successful and try to recreate that here. I think he'll get back to being a 25+ goal scorer.

 

[Jacob582]

Andrew Peters: "does Jeff Skinner need to move his NMC to help the Sabres out?"

Craig Rivet: "1000 per cent. You think I'm worried about Jeff Skinner's....ah... feelings? hog wash, tell him to lift some weights and get to the track..........He needs to come back and have a year, it's going to start by being in good shape this year. That's number one."

 

[Jacob582]

Question: Do you think Skinner knows he sucks or is he making up excuses: "it's not me it's the coach/team" etc?.

I think Skinner knows he came to Buffalo to coast and take Pegula Bucks.

Would have been interesting if KA could have hired his friend Rod Brind'amor as coach.

 

[Buffaloed]

I think Skinner knows he came to Buffalo to coast and take Pegula Bucks.

Would have been interesting if KA could have hired his friend Rod Brind'amor as coach.

He lost his love for the game when Krueger replaced Housley but is smart enough to say the right things when he's interviewed. It was fun for him when Housley was his coach. Granato will try to make it fun again. The problem with Jeff Skinner is he only seems to care about what Jeff Skinner wants. His teammates should take him to a sleazy motel and stage an intervention, or an exorcism.

 

[HaNotsri]

He lost his love for the game when Krueger replaced Housley but is smart enough to say the right things when he's interviewed. It was fun for him when Housley was his coach. Granato will try to make it fun again. The problem with Jeff Skinner is he only seems to care about what Jeff Skinner wants. His teammates should take him to a sleazy motel and stage an intervention, or an exorcism.

If there is a clause in his contract about having to participate with 100% commitment in sponsor events I think we should try to have him in two wing eating contests per day until he can hit ltir for a gastric or heart condition.

 

[Zman5778]

Question: Do you think Skinner knows he sucks or is he making up excuses: "it's not me it's the coach/team" etc?

Okposo changed his game and while I still think he's bad he hasn't hurt the team the same way Skinner does.

I think in Skinner's mind it's a little from A and B. I'm pretty sure he knows he could play better.......but at the same time, he also knows that Kruger completely screwed him over. And being honest, he might have been the single most unlucky/unfortunate forwards in the league last year. The chances were generally there, just not going in for one reason or another.

Given a full year with Granato and playing with some actual talent -- hitting 25+ shouldn't be a problem for him next year.

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

I think in Skinner's mind it's a little from A and B. I'm pretty sure he knows he could play better.......but at the same time, he also knows that Kruger completely screwed him over. And being honest, he might have been the single most unlucky/unfortunate forwards in the league last year. The chances were generally there, just not going in for one reason or another.

Given a full year with Granato and playing with some actual talent -- hitting 25+ shouldn't be a problem for him next year.

Kruger didn't "screw him over," that's nonsense. He has more power on the team anyway -- Kevin had to apologize to his agent just for benching him. And now look, one will stay for many years, one is gone.

Kruger sucks as a coach, but if anything Skinner screwed Ralph over.

 

[joshjull]

Kruger didn't "screw him over," that's nonsense. He has more power on the team anyway -- Kevin had to apologize to his agent just for benching him. And now look, one will stay for many years, one is gone.

Kruger sucks as a coach, but if anything Skinner screwed Ralph over.

If you take a goal scorer away from every advantageous scoring situation like Krueger did with Skinner. You’re not exactly helping them.

From day one Ralph….
-took him off PP1
-didn’t want him with Jack
-Rarely if ever put him out with our goalie pulled or in OT
- didn’t play him on an offensive line with offensively skewed deployments.


This was from DAY ONE. He didn’t play himself into this.

Krueger had some odd ideas on how to use goal scorers or guys he saw as offense only. Its the same odd thinking that had Mitts in the bottom 6 playing with non-offensive players getting sub 40% Ozone start %. Which was ridiculous but then Krueger was ridiculous

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

If you take a goal scorer away from every advantageous scoring situation like Krueger did with Skinner. You’re not exactly helping them.

From day one Ralph….
-took him off PP1
-didn’t want him with Jack
-Rarely if ever put him out with our goalie pulled or in OT
- didn’t play him on an offensive line with offensively skewed deployments.


This was from DAY ONE.

Krueger had some odd ideas on how to use goal scorers or guys he saw as offense only. Its the same odd thinking that had Mitts in the bottom 6 playing with non-offensive players getting sub 40% Ozone start %. Which was ridiculous but then Krueger was ridiculous

You act like they don't practice -- "day one" doesn't start with the first game. Roles are largely earned in practice, which we don't see.

Skinner has gotten on every coach's shit list he's played for, not just Kruger. He doesn't listen to coaches. Granato didn't give him all that much bigger of a role either -- what did he play, an extra minute? How much PP time was he given under Granato? Not much at all.

It seems like the only thing Kruger and Granato agree on is that Skinner isn't good enough (and/or doesn't try hard enough) for a top 6 role.

 

[joshjull]

If I remember correctly Granato talked about getting Skinner’s game back on track about a month into his tenure as interim. he said he had initially focused on the team structure/systems 5v5 and the youngsters.


Hopefully he can get him going this year. 20-25 goals is my expectation. 25-30 is my hope.

 

[CrazyPsycho]

Kruger didn't "screw him over," that's nonsense. He has more power on the team anyway -- Kevin had to apologize to his agent just for benching him. And now look, one will stay for many years, one is gone.

Kruger sucks as a coach, but if anything Skinner screwed Ralph over.

He literally played Skinner with Sobotka in Ralphs 1st coached game no? And Johansson at center? LOL

 

[joshjull]

You act like they don't practice -- "day one" doesn't start with the first game. Roles are largely earned in practice, which we don't see.

Skinner has gotten on every coach's shit list he's played for, not just Kruger. He doesn't listen to coaches. Granato didn't give him all that much bigger of a role either -- what did he play, an extra minute? How much PP time was he given under Granato? Not much at all.

It seems like the only thinks Kruger and Granato agree on is that Skinner isn't good enough (and/or doesn't try hard enough) for a top 6 role.

Sorry but you’re wrong. Krueger had some very odd ideas on how to do things and was incredibly stubborn about it.

We’re talking about the guy who iced one of, if not, the worst lines in hockey for about 15-18 games straight (Reider/Eakin/Okposo). They sure as hell didn’t earn staying together or even dressing every night. Yet Krueger thought they were amazing and doing their job.


I’m not saying Skinner can’t be frustrating at times for coaches. But his usage here was just pure stupidity from Krueger.

 

[joshjull]

He literally played Skinner with Sobotka in Ralphs 1st coached game no? And Johansson at center? LOL

Yep. He said he loved the make up of that line. Skinner provided the goals, Mojo the two way play and Sobotka covered them defensively. Then he throw them out there as a top 6 matchup line.

 

[Grinder44]

While Skinner is a flawed player he's rarely had much trouble finding the back of the net throughout his career (until recently). Better line-mates and a return to career avg. shooting percentage would at least give the team some return on his albatross contract. He's never gonna win the Selke, but if he can get back to even 20g/35pts I'd consider that a win at this point.

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

Sorry but you’re wrong. Krueger had some very odd ideas on how to do things and was incredibly stubborn about it.

We’re talking about the guy who iced one of, if not, the worst lines in hockey for about 15-18 games straight (Reider/Eakin/Okposo). They sure as hell didn’t earn staying together or even dressing every night. Yet Krueger thought they were amazing and doing their job.


I’m not saying Skinner can’t be frustrating at times for coaches. But his usage here was just pure stupidity from Krueger.

I agree with everything your saying - I still think it’s nonsense to he was “screwed over.” At least any more than anyone else on the team.