Reviewing the Jeff Skinner trade with the Buffalo Sabres
On August 2nd, 2019, the Carolina Hurricanes sent winger Jeff Skinner to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Cliff Pu and three draft picks. So, was it the right decision? Did the Hurricanes get enough of a return for someone who was once the best player on the team? Well, I’m going to talk about all of this and you can make your own decision based on this information at the end.
So, let’s start with Skinner during his time in Raleigh. He was one of the Canes’ best players. Multiple times he was the Canes’ top producer in the regular season. He was one of the leaders on the ice and he did it by example, wearing an “A” for a brief stint during his time in Raleigh. To say he was an important part of this team would be underselling his value.
Today, Jeff Skinner is still 5th in Hurricanes/Whalers history in goals, 8th in points, 10th in games played, 4th in even-strength goals, joint ninth in game-winning goals, 3rd in shots taken, and joint 8th in hat tricks. He’s one of the best players in the history of the franchise, but he happened to play for the team during the darkest spell of its existence. Still being the ultimate professional, Skinner never complained about his time on some pretty awful teams.
As we approached the 2018-19 season, Carolina had just had the 2nd overall pick and taken a winger that they hoped would improve their franchise ten-fold. Skinner was also looking for a new contract, so the Hurricanes decided it was best to move on from the Toronto, Ontario native. Skinner was moved to Buffalo in exchange for Pu and three draft picks. We will get into those picks in a minute, but let’s start with how Skinner has done in Buffalo.
Skinner’s time in Buffalo so far
Skinner arrived in Buffalo knowing he’d be certain of top-line minutes which was important to him. He’d been sliding down the pecking order in the City of Oaks so getting premier minutes at the top of the Sabres lineup in a contract year was something he was looking for. It was an opportunity given to Skinner to prove himself as an elite goal scorer in the NHL and he did everything in his power to prove that.
In his first year as a Sabre, he recorded 40 goals for the first time in his career and ended the season with 63 points. He hadn’t reached that point mark since he won the Calder Trophy as the league’s best rookie in 2010-11. It looked like Skinner was going to slot in perfectly to the Sabres system and that the Hurricanes didn’t get enough back for the Ontario native. This earned Skinner an 8-year, $72 million deal carrying a $9 million average annual value.
However, the 2019-20 season would bring everything back down to earth. In year one of his new deal, Skinner recorded just 14 goals and 9 assists for 23 points, a career-low at the time. This was in just 59 games as he missed time and the season was cut short to due the COVID-19 global pandemic. All of a sudden, the Skinner trade looked ingenious. It looked like management knew exactly what they were doing.
In the 2021 season, Skinner would record career lows across the board. Just 7 goals and 7 assists for 14 points in 53 games. He was playing fourth-line minutes and was a healthy scratch at times. It looked like Skinner would never live up to the contract he was given when he got to the Sabres organization. However, the winger would bounce back later.
In this most recent season, Skinner tallied 33 goals. Not spectacular, but a lot better than what he was producing. However, he quietly matched the 63-point total he set in the year he scored 40 goals. He’s been getting better since the Sabres changed their coaching staff during the back half of the 2021 season. He’s now becoming an important part of the Sabres’ rebuild. Som what did Carolina get back for the former rookie of the year?
What did Carolina get back?
Carolina got four pieces back for their former Calder winner. Pu, a 2019 second-round pick, a 2020 third-round pick, and a 2020 sixth-round pick. At the time, this looked like Jason Botterill had absolutely fleeced Don Waddell. It looked like an absolutely shambolic return for the Hurricanes who were one of the most irrelevant organizations in hockey at the time. However, it wouldn’t turn out that way.
Pu never played for Carolina. but he did have a 44-game spell for the Charlotte Checkers when they were the Carolina Hurricanes affiliate. He’d also get a brief assignment with the Florida Everblades of the ECHL but never got his chance in the big leagues. He was traded to Florida later that season in exchange for future considerations, which to this point is nothing.
The 2020 third-round pick was used by the Hurricanes to select a prospect that is still in the Hurricanes’ system. Alexander Nikishin. Not the biggest name in the pipeline, Nikishin just signed an extension to stay in the KHL but is still one of the more promising players in the system. If he does ever come across, he has a lot of promise. But as of right now, he’s rather unknown.
That 2020 sixth-rounder wasn’t used by Carolina. It was flipped alongside Scott Darling. This was also sent to Florida. However, it was quite the return. Carolina got back goaltender James Reimer. Carolina’s acquisition of Reimer was quite a good one. With Reimer, Carolina became one of the most stable teams at the top of the NHL standings. Now a Shark, Reimer was a great member of the Hurricanes.
Now, you’ll have noticed I skipped over the 2019 2nd round selection. Carolina used that pick on goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov. Yes, the very same Pyotr Kochetkov that went 13-1-2 in his first 16 games in the AHL. Kochetkov has 3 NHL starts and a 4-2 record. Doesn’t speak a word of English, but was very good when the Canes needed to call on the 22-year-old this year. He looks more and more like he will be a long-term piece of the future.
So, what do you think? Was the Skinner trade worth it? I personally think you can argue both ways, but at the end of the day, you cannot be upset with anything but the contract he signed in Buffalo. He’s a good player and Carolina got some very useful parts in exchange for their premier winger.
Question for Cardiac Cane Readers: What do you think of the Skinner trade in Hindsight?
Next. Exploring a DeBrincat trade. dark