The 33-year-old winger had 13 points in 32 games with San Jose.
Former Buffalo Sabres winger Jeff Skinner has been on the move ever since the club bought him out of the final three years of his contract in the summer of 2024. The former 40-goal scorer hooked up with the Edmonton Oilers last season and signed a one-year deal with San Jose last summer, but his stay in Northern California has been a short one, as the veteran forward has been placed on waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract.
The 33-year-old joined the young Sharks as a free agent, signing a one-year, $3 million deal after his one-year stint with the Oilers for the same salary. Last season, playing a bottom-six role in Edmonton, Skinner scored 29 points (16 goals, 13 assists) in 72 games. In San Jose, it was expected that he would be used in more of a scoring role, but after suffering a lower-body injury in mid-November and returning three weeks later, he was used sporadically and has been a healthy scratch since January 11 and has only 13 points (6 goals, 7 assists) in 32 games.
Skinner was acquired by the Sabres after spending eight seasons in Carolina, and was an immediate success, scoring 40 goals and earning an eight-year, $72 million extension in 2019. A coaching change to Ralph Krueger was not a good fit for the offensive winger, who was relegated to a bottom-six role and scored only 21 goals in 112 games, but his goal scoring returned under Don Granato, with 33 and 35-goal campaigns in 2022 and 2023.
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His production dropped to 24 goals in 2024 after being dropped from the top line to the third line late in the year, and Skinner was not willing to waive his no-movement clause to facilitate a trade. The buyout still has ramifications for the Sabres on the salary cap, with a cap hit of $4.44 million this season, $6.44 million in 2026-27, and $2.44 million for the 2027-28, 2028-29, and 2029-30 seasons.
The Sharks are unexpectedly competing for a Western Conference playoff spot, and have prioritized playing younger forwards over veterans like Skinner and Ryan Reaves. San Jose acquired winger Kiefer Sherwood from Vancouver (who is currently on injured reserve), and his return would have made it more of a challenge to get back into the lineup.
The contract termination seems to be in vogue this season for players with sizable cap hits looking for a chance to play. Toronto’s David Kampf agreed to terminate the remaining two years of his deal with the Maple Leafs to sign a one-year deal with Vancouver. Alexander Texier terminated his contract with St. Louis to sign a one-year deal with Montreal, and that has paid off for the young winger, as he has already been extended by the Canadiens.
With a $3 million cap hit and San Jose unable to retain salary this season on any deals, the chances of a trade to another club were remote. With a contract termination, it is possible that Skinner could join another club looking for offense late in the season.
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