Sabres Hoping Levi Has Deep Playoff Run In Rochester Buffalo Sabres forward Jeff Skinner is once again having a solid season for the club. In 66 games, the skilled winger has 24 goals and 45 points. He has shown that he is still a quality goal-scorer at this juncture of his career, but his contract will forever create chatter. Skinner, 31, notably carries a massive $9 million cap hit until the completion of the 2026-27 season. That's a hefty chunk of change for what he produces. Jeff Skinner [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjA0NjI1NTY3MTE3NDg1Mzcx/usatsi_22489408.jpg] Jeff Skinner Due to this, in a recent column for The Hockey News' main site [https://thehockeynews.com/news/five-early-buyout-candidates-for-after-the-2023-24-nhl-season], Adam Proteau listed Jeff Skinner as one of five early buyout candidates for the 2024 NHL Offseason. Proteau noted that a Skinner buyout would be far from cheap, as it would cost the Sabres $1.4 million next season, $4.4 million in 2025-26, $6.4 million in 2026-27, and $2.4 million from 2027-28 to 2029-30. As a result, Skinner's cap hit would still be pretty significant but never close to his current $9 million cap hit. The Sabres could try to trade Skinner, but it would be incredibly difficult to find a suitor willing to take on his entire $9 million salary. Salary retention could make it a possibility, but even then, that would only do so much due to the term he has left. Jeff Skinner [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MTk4OTY5NDYyNDA4MzU3ODQ0/usatsi_2023-03-31-jeffskinner-vsnyr.jpg] Jeff Skinner The Sabres have an array of notable prospects and young NHL forwards ready for bigger roles, so there's certainly a case to move on from Skinner this offseason. With that, it's possible that the 998-game veteran would not be against a change of scenery, as he has yet to play a playoff game in his entire 14-year NHL career. There would be interest in his services if he hit the free-agent market. Nevertheless, we must wait and see what happens with Skinner this offseason from here. RECENT SABRES NEWS Sabres Forward Flirting with Big Milestone [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/buffalo-sabres/latest-news/sabres-forward-flirting-with-big-milestone] Sabres Could Be Interested In NCAA Free Agent Blueliners [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/buffalo-sabres/latest-news/sabres-could-be-interested-in-ncaa-free-agent-blueliners] Sabres & Flyers Could Strike Summer Deal [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/buffalo-sabres/latest-news/sabres-flyers-could-strike-summer-deal] Sabres Sign Prospect Goalie to ATO [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/buffalo-sabres/latest-news/sabres-sign-prospect-goalie-to-ato] Sabres Star Needs to Finish Season Strongly [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/buffalo-sabres/latest-news/sabres-star-needs-to-finish-season-strongly] New Defenseman Becoming Vital Part of Sabres Lineup [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/buffalo-sabres/latest-news/new-defenseman-becoming-vital-part-of-sabres-lineup]