What's gone wrong for Jeff Skinner with the Edmonton Oilers?

Alex Tuch cant help but crack a smile when he thinks about Jeff Skinner .

When Tuch arrived in Buffalo as part of the trade that sent Jack Eichel to Vegas, he didnt know much about Skinner.

But over the course of two-plus seasons playing together, Tuch and Skinner, along with Tage Thompson set career highs in points.

They also formed a friendship that continues to this day.

Advertisement Hes one of the nicest, most genuine people Ive ever met, Tuch said.

Hes really quiet, so getting to actually know Jeff took years.

Hes like an onion.

You have to peel away layer by layer kind of thing.

Almost like there are layers to his career.

Skinner was the NHL s rookie of the year in 2011 and is a six-time 30-goal scorer.

Hes shown he can be an offensive force over parts of his 15 years in the big leagues.

He also endured a few rocky seasons with the Sabres that ended in him being bought out.

In his first year with the Edmonton Oilers , hes gone from a high-profile free-agent signee to someone struggling to get into the lineup.

It appears that Skinner, who has seven goals and 15 points in 43 games this season, is once again at a crossroads.

The 32-year-old is trying to make an impact on a playoff-bound team for the first time with free agency looming for the second straight summer.

Aside from team success, the scenario is not all that dissimilar to what happened at times with the Sabres the Oilers opponent on Saturday.

After scoring 40 goals in his first season with the Sabres, Skinner signed an eight-year contract worth $9 million per season in 2019.

But that same year, Ralph Krueger took over as Buffalos coach and torpedoed Skinners production.

He had 23 points in 59 games in 2019-20.

The next season, Krueger began making Skinner a healthy scratch and he finished with 14 points in 53 games.

His cap hit looked like an anchor .

It wasnt until Don Granato took over that Skinner got his offensive spark back and subsequently became the fun-loving teammate Tuch met in Buffalo.

Granato called Skinner a quiet ring-leader for the Sabres.

Then-alternate captain Zemgus Girgensons referred to Skinner as one of the most unselfish people in the locker room and a constant source of positivity.

Under the wide-open style Granato had the Sabres play early in his tenure, Skinner was a scoring machine.

He had a career-high 82 points in 2022-23, including 47 assists.

Advertisement Apparently I couldnt make a bad pass because he caught everything, Tuch said.

Put it in his feet and it was even better than when I put it on his tape I felt like.

The attack mentality, the ability to find pockets and find openings and make these plays in small areas was really interesting.

We just had really good chemistry because of that.

For us, it seemed to click right away, Skinner said.

Thinking the game similarly is a big thing and being aware of where each guy likes to be on the ice in certain situations helps.

He thinks the game in a way that I feel is similar to me or in a way that we complement each other.

That season, Skinners personality came out, too.

He made Whitney Houstons, I Wanna Dance with Somebody his goal song.

He also hosted a sketch comedy series for the team website titled, Between 2 Stalls, a play on Zach Galifianakis Between Two Ferns.

That surprises everyone because hes a really quiet guy, Tuch said.

He comes in and just does that and he scripted it himself and had the whole idea.

We were like, This is hilarious.

And I was his first ever guest so it was even better.

Ill always remember that.

That was such a fun time.

Thats the type of guy he is.

Hell just surprise you each and every day.

The Sabres underachieved the next season as Tuch and Thompson both dealt with injuries early on.

Skinner finished the year with only 24 goals and 46 points in 74 games.

On the night he played his 1,000th game, becoming the first player in NHL history to reach the milestone without appearing in the playoffs, he had already been demoted to the third line.

The Sabres missed the playoffs for a 13th straight season and fired Granato.

After hiring Lindy Ruff as Granatos replacement, one of the first roster decisions the Sabres made was buying out the remaining three years of his $72 million contract.

Advertisement I was really disappointed to see him leave, especially the way he did, Tuch said.

It was really hard.

I had a lot of really good memories with him on the ice, too.

When the Sabres brought in Ruff as their coach, it became clear Skinner would be an odd fit.

Krueger always referred to principles when talking about Skinner moving down or out of the lineup.

Skinner isnt the most willing forechecker or backchecker.

With the puck on his stick, he has the creativity and skill to finish and set up teammates.

But away from the puck, his game is lacking.

Ruffs edict was that the team would play with more structure and accountability.

There would be non-negotiables for parts of the game like backchecking and defensive-zone coverage.

Those arent Skinners strengths.

But offense is, and thats what piqued the Oilers interest.

Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch mentioned several times both down the stretch and in the 2024 playoffs how impressed he was by Leon Draisaitl s production despite often skating with less-established wingers than Connor McDavid did.

It was apparent the Oilers were going to go shopping for flanks for Draisaitl on July 1.

Warren Foegele was no longer in the Oilers plans, and they were ready to move on from sometimes winger Ryan McLeod , who was eventually dealt to the Sabres in a package for prospect Matt Savoie.

Foegele and McLeod were Draisaitls most common linemates in 2023-24.

Just days removed from losing Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, the Oilers were able to get a jump on the market when the Sabres bought out Skinner.

They targeted him quickly, which appealed to the veteran scorer .

Skinner officially signed a one-year, $3 million deal with a no-movement clause when free agency opened.

Hes a guy whos had a long career, scored a lot of goals in the league a couple of years ago and had almost 80 points, Oilers hockey operations CEO Jeff Jackson said on July 1 while acting as the GM.

Hes a very good player, a very smart player, can play with lots of skill, and has played with skilled players.

Advertisement The Oilers also signed Viktor Arvidsson that day and the plan was for him and Skinner to bolster an area of need and better supplement Draisaitl.

The fit was supposed to be perfect.

Its been anything but almost from the very start.

Skinner started the season opener next to Draisaitl and went from there to McDavids wing to the bottom six before the Oilers four-game homestand ended.

His opportunities in the top six have been few and far between since then.

He got top-six minutes when McDavid was out with an ankle injury.

But he was also mostly on the last duo when the Oilers used 11 forwards for a stretch with Arvidsson and Zach Hyman were sidelined.

Skinner was first scratched on Dec.

29.

The next day, Knoblauch said he could do a better job of putting Skinner in a situation where he can succeed, playing with other players who would help his game.

But a lot of its just him finding his game and how he usually plays.

Knoblauch then added that the only way Skinner would likely get back in the top six was if there were injuries or underperformance from others.

Skinner then didnt dress in four of the Oilers next 10 games.

He was on the fourth line for four of the six contests in which he played.

Theres been no choice but to play him with McDavid suspended this week and the Oilers down to 12 forwards.

He started Tuesdays game on the third line but wasnt given much premium ice time.

The Oilers power play looked discombobulated without McDavid and went 0-for-3 in a 3-2 loss to Washington.

Knoblauch said he wanted Arvidsson, a right-handed shooter, as a one-time option as opposed to Skinner, who received just 19 seconds on the second unit.

He wasnt on the ice with the goalie pulled, either.

Skinner did get first-unit power-play time on Thursday against Vancouver but was also back on the fourth line even with usual left winger Ryan Nugent-Hopkins moving to center in McDavids absence.

Corey Perry scored on Tuesday and was coming off one of his better outings of the season, Knoblauch trusts Mattias Janmark s two-way game and Vasily Podkolzin had usurped Skinner as Draisaitls winger by the eighth game of the season.

Advertisement Draisaitl has raved about playing with Podkolzin, a 2019 first-round pick who was cast off from Vancouver in the offseason.

Podkolzin hits, forechecks and digs out pucks.

It seems like his first thought when he has the puck is to try to find Draisaitl.

I know my role on this line, Podkolzin said.

Of course, hell play the puck a little bit more than me or Arvy.

Thats fine.

Its a great opportunity for me.

He turned my career in a good way.

Its a privilege to play with someone like that.

I dont know how were still playing together.

Its good.

You learn something every day.

By contrast, the fit between Skinner, who likes to control the puck, and Edmontons top two centers has never looked right albeit in limited time.

The results match the eye test.

The winger has played 48 minutes with McDavid at five-on-five and the Oilers have been outscored 7-1 in that span, per Natural Stat Trick.

In almost 67 minutes with Skinner next to Draisaitl in that game state, the Oilers are 3-1 in the red.

For those guys, theyre having great years, Skinner said.

Their lines are clicking really well, so thats just the way its going.

I just try and work on my game and try to find that next level and see where it goes.

Instead, Skinners most common center has been 34-year-old Adam Henrique .

Theyve played 226 minutes together at five-on-five and the Oilers have an 8-7 advantage on the scoreboard.

Usually, theres been a worker-type winger like Connor Brown on the line.

How much Ive played with each guy has differed a little bit, but I like playing with Rico a lot, Skinner said.

Hes a smart guy.

You always know where hes going to be.

Adding Skinner and Arvidsson who signed a two-year, $4 million AAV deal contributed to the Oilers going over the salary cap with RFAs Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg still unsigned.

Those players signed offer sheets with the St.

Louis Blues in August, deals that incoming GM Stan Bowman opted not to match because of the cap implications.

Advertisement Holloway, who played most of the playoffs on Draisaitls left wing, has 15 goals and 37 points in 49 games for the Blues.

Hes far outproduced Skinner while making less money, being just 23 and still having four more seasons of team control before hes UFA eligible.

Its hard to argue the Sabres have benefited much from Skinners departure, though.

As a result of the buyout, the Sabres have dead cap hits of $1.44 million in 2024-25, $4.44 million in 2025-26, $6.44 million in 2026-27 and $2.4 million in 2027-28, 2028-29 and 2029-30.

This season represented the biggest cap savings, but the Sabres didnt spend the money.

Theyre in last place in the Eastern Conference.

This isnt how this season was supposed to go for the Sabres or Skinner in his new home.

Skinners name has started to surface in trade speculation.

Colleagues Chris Johnston and Harman Dayal had him on their list of under-the-radar trade candidates earlier this week.

Skinner holds all the cards thanks to his no-movement clause.

He told The Athletic that he doesnt want out of Edmonton.

Im committed to being here, Skinner said.

Im happy to be an Oiler.

There isnt a clear path for Skinner to become an integral part of the team, but theres still time for things to change.

Tuch believes Skinners story in Edmonton hasnt finished being written.

He is someone who was the ultimate pro, honestly, he said.

People dont understand how hard he actually works and the way he takes care of himself every single day.

You go through ups and downs in your career.

It happens.

Im sure hes going to make his way out of this and be better for it.

Hes a hell of a player and a very unique talent, too.

(Photo: Andy Devlin / NHLI via Getty Images).

This article has been shared from the original article on theathleticuk, here is the link to the original article.