The contract
Edmonton Oilers signal winger Jeff Skinner to a one-year take care of a $3 million AAV.
Every time anybody ever talks about Jeff Skinner, it appears, all they will ever do is deal with the negatives, the issues he can’t do. Can’t play in site visitors. Doesn’t go onerous to the online. Too small at 5-11. Too slight at 187. Clean skater — that’s the determine skating background — however susceptible to lengthy stretches of time when the goalscoring can go ice chilly. Not nice for somebody primarily often called a scorer. And, up till the Buffalo Sabres purchased out the ultimate three years of his contract the opposite day, a participant vastly overpaid for what he produces. Skinner isn’t, and perhaps by no means was, a $9 million per yr participant.
In fact, none of which actually issues to the Oilers, who took a calculated danger Monday and signed Skinner to a one-year deal price $3 million. The Oilers added Skinner as soon as the early rush to signal gamers slowed down. Now that his wage has shrunk by two-thirds, the chance/reward ratio immediately tilts slightly extra favorably within the route of the participant. As a result of Skinner is simply 32. He does have 1,006 NHL video games underneath his belt. He was the Calder Trophy winner because the NHL’s rookie of the yr in 2011 — and even in a down yr like final yr, nonetheless scored 24 targets in 74 video games. In Edmonton, solely Zach Hyman, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl scored greater than 24 targets final season. And previous to this yr, Skinner had posted consecutive 30-goal seasons. So, he undoubtedly represents a chance price taking.
From Skinner’s perspective, Edmonton is a lovely vacation spot primarily for one cause. In a profession that started 14 years in the past, he’s by no means performed in a single NHL playoff recreation. That’s an NHL document. With the Oilers, provided that they had been inside a recreation of profitable the Stanley Cup this previous season, he’ll nearly definitely get an opportunity to finish that drought. Together with Viktor Arvidsson signed earlier within the day, the Oilers added two pure scorers to their prime 9 — for cheap {dollars}. Contemplating what number of gamers had been already off the board by the point Skinner got here to phrases, that’s a good late-in-the-game transfer.
Contract grade: B
Match grade: B
(Picture: Invoice Wippert / NHLI through Getty Pictures)
