Could Skinner Buyout Happen With Window Opening This Week?
The 32-year-old winger has three years remaining on an eight-year, $72 million contract
Could Skinner Buyout Happen With Window Opening This Week?The Stanley Cup Final wrapping up on Saturday with the Florida Panthers up 3-0 on the Edmonton Oilers could mean the start of the offseason maneuvering for NHL clubs leading up to the NHL Draft in Las Vegas in less than two weeks and the start of free agency on July 1. If the Panthers do wrap things up in Game 4, the window for NHL clubs to buyout existing contracts opens two days later and lasts until 5 pm on June 30th.
This window could mean a lot to the Buffalo Sabres, who have many decisions to make between now and the beginning of training camp in September. The Sabres took a step back last season, costing head coach Don Granato his job. With Lindy Ruff hired to get Buffalo back to the playoffs since he got them in 2011, GM Kevyn Adams is expected to pull out the stops to improve his roster.
One move that has been speculated on is buying out the final three years of Jeff Skinner’s eight-year deal. The 32-year-old, who played his 1000th NHL game at the end of last season, dropped from 35 goals in 2023 to 24 goals last season and was dropped from the top line to the third line late in the season. Skinner has a no-movement clause on his contract, which gives him control of whether he wants to go anywhere and if so, what his preferred destination would be. It is possible that the Sabres could approach him and see if he is willing to waive to go someplace, but Buffalo would likely have to retain a significant chunk of his $9 million salary.
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It is unlikely that Skinner is willing to waive his NMC since one of the motivations for signing his long-term deal with the Sabres five years ago was to be close to his family in Toronto. Buffalo is notorious for not buying out players or retaining salary in trades, but the impetus to snap the 13-year playoff drought may supersede those usual practices. Adams would be able to clear $7.55 million in cap space for the 2024-25 season, which could be used to improve their bottom six, but the cap hit would go up to $4.44 million in 2025-26, $6.44 million in 2026-27 and 2.44 million for the 2027-28, 2028-29, and 2029-30 seasons.
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