Skinner buyout opens up $7.55 million in cap space this summer
The Buffalo Sabres buyout of winger Jeff Skinner was a road that GM Kevyn Adams was prepared to go down, failing they could find a destination that the 32-year-old would have accepted before the window closed on Sunday. Adams indicated before the draft that Skinner was not receptive to waiving his no-movement clause, and if that were the case, the club was going to have to find a way to open up cap space to acquire someone via trade or in free agency.
"I think everything's on the table, we're gonna look at every possible scenario, whether that's trade opportunities to make our team better (or) who's out there in free agency, and those are things we're looking at and juggling," Adams said.
The Sabres were unable to pull off a trade to upgrade their top six either Friday or Saturday in Vegas but may have laid the groundwork for a deal in the summer involving some of their prospects or future draft picks.
The buyout clears $7.55 million in cap space for the 2024-25 season and it is likely that Adams will look to use some or most of that to fill slots in the bottom six, with youngsters like J-J Peterka, Jack Quinn, and/or Zach Benson getting elevated into the top six if Buffalo cannot replace Skinner’s offense in free agency.
One avenue that Adams could pursue once again is WNY native Patrick Kane, who the Sabres tried to sign last season before the three-time Cup winner signed a one-year deal with Detroit. The 35-year-old shook off any concerns of lingering health issues, scoring 47 points (20 goals, 27 assists) in 50 games with the Wings and there have not been any strong indicators of an imminent signing with Detroit, which could mean that Buffalo has a chance to approach the winger about coming home.
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