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The Jeff Skinner decision


Crusader1969

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In the most important games of the season Skinner is dropped down to the 3rd line. 
they have Greenway on the 1st line but, I think we can agree ,he is better suited for the 3rd line 

begs the question.  What to do with Jeff Skinner in the summer ? 
has a NTC, gets paid $9 for 3 more years, his defensive game is adequate at best.  
he is the teams oldest forward and isn't a great example for how the game should be played to the young  players.  At least in my opinion.

 

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Buy him out as soon as practicably possible. He’s an erratic point accumulator for bad NHL teams.

This has been discussed in another thread. I believe it’s impracticable (impractical?) to buy him out until after the 2024-2025 season.

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It seems if his buyout creates a cap dent so large that we cannot sign a decent replacement <insert dozens of arguments as to what that would be ... a traffic cone could replace his defense>, then the team is not better without him. He is maddening, he is frustrating, he is inconsistent ... he is also their leading goal scorer(ish), electric upon rare occasions, and likely a heckuva guy. I don't think Skinner is the problem with this team and likely not the biggest of the many problems.

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6 minutes ago, Crusader1969 said:

In the most important games of the season Skinner is dropped down to the 3rd line. 
they have Greenway on the 1st line but, I think we can agree ,he is better suited for the 3rd line 

begs the question.  What to do with Jeff Skinner in the summer ? 
has a NTC, gets paid $9 for 3 more years, his defensive game is adequate at best.  
he is the teams oldest forward and isn't a great example for how the game should be played to the young  players.  At least in my opinion.

 

This flawed logic implies that Jordan Greenway deserves top line money for playing on the top line.  He doesn't.  Jeff Skinner leads the team in goals.

This also assumes that 3rd line is "defensive."  It's not.  Player usage charts show that ___-Thompson-Tuch play against the hardest opponents and that Krebs plays against significantly weaker opponents.  Maybe Granato wants Skinner-Krebs-Benson to light up the other team's scrubs.

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Addition by subtraction. Buy out asap.  Respect the scoring threat, but from the stands it appears something is amiss and he marches to his own drum from time to time.  This erodes cohesive unit vibe. The team isn't good enough / league is too competitive to have a guy like that in the core of the team.  

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Jeff has a NMC and isn't going anywhere unless he wants to go.  The opportunity to move on is next trade deadline if the Sabres aren't in a playoff position.  However, no way TP pays $14 Million to Jeff not to play for the Sabres (nearly $20 mill in cap over the 6 years).  

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I'll further add that in 5v5, the Sabres score more with Skinner on the ice than any other player (outside of JQ's 17 games) and Skinner's GA/60 is middle-off-the-team, better than Jordan Greenway's.

There's not going to be a buyout, Sabres can't afford the cap hit and it doesn't make any sense with a productive player.  Soonest exit would be to a playoff team in trade, maybe with salary retention, but good luck doing a one-for-one shipping Skinner out in order to land what the Sabres need... a scoring forward?  Sabres aren't desiring to take a package in return unless they're desperate to get him out.

I assume the usual asset management techniques apply and if the Sabres don't want Skinner, they move him the summer before his last contract year, which would be 2026, presuming he waives his NMC.  He may decline to move, and then it's the same situation as a rental at the trade deadline in 2027.

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24 minutes ago, ska-T Chitown said:

It seems if his buyout creates a cap dent so large that we cannot sign a decent replacement <insert dozens of arguments as to what that would be ... a traffic cone could replace his defense>, then the team is not better without him. He is maddening, he is frustrating, he is inconsistent ... he is also their leading goal scorer(ish), electric upon rare occasions, and likely a heckuva guy. I don't think Skinner is the problem with this team and likely not the biggest of the many problems.

ok, so you want him on  your top line? 

24 minutes ago, IKnowPhysics said:

This flawed logic implies that Jordan Greenway deserves top line money for playing on the top line.  He doesn't.  Jeff Skinner leads the team in goals.

This also assumes that 3rd line is "defensive."  It's not.  Player usage charts show that ___-Thompson-Tuch play against the hardest opponents and that Krebs plays against significantly weaker opponents.  Maybe Granato wants Skinner-Krebs-Benson to light up the other team's scrubs.

you feel comfortable going into next year with Skinner - Krebs - Benson as your 3rd line ?  also imply that Greenway is either #1 LW or #4 Left Wing , neither is a role I want him in

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38 minutes ago, IKnowPhysics said:

I'll also add that Skinner scored 40, 33, and 35 in non-Krueger years and is scoring at a 30 goal pace this year.

and its got the Sabres no where   

6 minutes ago, bob_sauve28 said:

Just keep him. We don't have enough good forwards as it is

and play him where? I'm open to having getting the Olofsson treatment and fill in as the 13th forward when needed

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2 minutes ago, Crusader1969 said:

and its got the Sabres no where   

and play him where? I'm open to having getting the Olofsson treatment and fill in as the 13th forward when needed

Flawed logic. Jack Eichel got the Sabres nowhere... he won a cup in Vegas. Linus Ullmark got the Sabres nowhere... he won a Vezina in Boston. Ryan O"Reilly got the Sabres nowhere... he won a cup and a playoff MVP. Sam Reinhart got the Sabres nowhere... he just put up a 50g season. Guess they all suck. 

Maybe instead of getting rid of the veteran players who actually are doing more than some of you realize, maybe we should not buyout a guy who is currently tied for the lead in goals after being injured for part of the year just because he is slumping a bit at the end? Or maybe this team just doesn't have room for a 30g scorer. Why not force whatever rookie under 20 into his spot, that is the Sabres way after all. 

Jeff Skinner isn't the problem on this team. 

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Posted (edited)
5 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Flawed logic. Jack Eichel got the Sabres nowhere... he won a cup in Vegas. Linus Ullmark got the Sabres nowhere... he won a Vezina in Boston. Ryan O"Reilly got the Sabres nowhere... he won a cup and a playoff MVP. Sam Reinhart got the Sabres nowhere... he just put up a 50g season. Guess they all suck. 

Maybe instead of getting rid of the veteran players who actually are doing more than some of you realize, maybe we should not buyout a guy who is currently tied for the lead in goals after being injured for part of the year just because he is slumping a bit at the end? Or maybe this team just doesn't have room for a 30g scorer. Why not force whatever rookie under 20 into his spot, that is the Sabres way after all. 

Jeff Skinner isn't the problem on this team. 

where are  you playing him next year?  Sabres obviously dont want / trust him any longer on line 1   How much does he score away from Tage and Tuch? 

I do think he represents a huge part of the problem.    His lack of 2 way effort is well documented.

I would put Benson on Line 1 and give up 10 goals in order to get everything else Benson brings to the game.

Its not all about Keep or Get rid of. If  you keep him, whats his role? 

Edited by Crusader1969
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What's strange around here is everyone up in arms over Jeff Skinner and his 24g, 21a in 64game season to date but very little around here about Peyton Krebs who in 70 games has 4g, 11a which is 5g and 3a less than 18yr old Zach Benson. Krebs either hits next year or they need to think about moving on from him. Noah Östlund is coming and I'd bet money I can get him to give me 15pts a year so why pay Krebs? 

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Just now, Crusader1969 said:

where are  you playing him next year?  Sabres obviously dont want / trust him any longer on line 1   How much does he score away from Tage and Tuch? 

I do think he represents a huge part of the problem.    His lack of 2 way effort is well documented.

I would put Benson on Line 1 and give up 10 goals in order to get everything else Benson brings to the game.

 

He has outscored Tuch and Tage. Neither have as many goals as Jeff this season. I put him on the top 2 lines. It is why I would fire granato because he is so married to his combo of JJP - Cozens - Quinn that he refuses to see others. 

Also why does Tuch get a pass around here? He is invisible for games on end. What about Thompson, I haven't seen him do $#it for months now. 

Benson is 18. There is nothing wrong at all with keeping him in a sheltered 3rd line roll again next season. Benson - New Center - Greenway is a perfectly acceptable line, or put Tuch there and Greenway up if needed. Guys will get injured so this is only a problem when everyone is healthy. 

Jeff Skinner is the whipping boy because Tuch is big and from Syracuse, Tage is big and the 94pt season looms large, and Krebs is either forgotten about or ignored for some reason (because he was in the Eichel trade?). Skinner cooled off in the 2nd half but so did the entire team. They aren't scoring enough and that is on the coaches for the "new" system they installed. 

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This is why you don't sign everyone to 8yr deals and make all sunshine and rainbows. VERY few NHL players are capable of a consistently high level of play for that long. Samuelsson's contract is laughably bad with how often he gets hurt and how little he contributes. Power should have been bridged. Skinner getting 8 years is another in the long list of Pegula (HAPPY FREAKING BIRTHDAY) *****ups. This team locked everyone in so now they have to figure out how to get everyone TOI that doesn't reduce their skillset to being useless which is BTW, exactly what Krueger did. He used guys in ways that diminished what they could do. Skinner is a goal scorer, put him with guys who pass well and win puck battles. I personally think the claims of his poor backchecking are about has credible is the ppl around here who still claim Reinhart is a bad skater. 

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15 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

What's strange around here is everyone up in arms over Jeff Skinner and his 24g, 21a in 64game season to date but very little around here about Peyton Krebs who in 70 games has 4g, 11a which is 5g and 3a less than 18yr old Zach Benson. Krebs either hits next year or they need to think about moving on from him. Noah Östlund is coming and I'd bet money I can get him to give me 15pts a year so why pay Krebs? 

Krebs make little money and plays below avg ice time amount. Skinner is high paid and a negative every time he is on ice. He needs to be bought out after this year. We work under an internal cap anyway and this will not keep us from spending more money.

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Posted (edited)
22 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

He has outscored Tuch and Tage. Neither have as many goals as Jeff this season. I put him on the top 2 lines. It is why I would fire granato because he is so married to his combo of JJP - Cozens - Quinn that he refuses to see others. 

Also why does Tuch get a pass around here? He is invisible for games on end. What about Thompson, I haven't seen him do $#it for months now. 

Benson is 18. There is nothing wrong at all with keeping him in a sheltered 3rd line roll again next season. Benson - New Center - Greenway is a perfectly acceptable line, or put Tuch there and Greenway up if needed. Guys will get injured so this is only a problem when everyone is healthy. 

Jeff Skinner is the whipping boy because Tuch is big and from Syracuse, Tage is big and the 94pt season looms large, and Krebs is either forgotten about or ignored for some reason (because he was in the Eichel trade?). Skinner cooled off in the 2nd half but so did the entire team. They aren't scoring enough and that is on the coaches for the "new" system they installed. 

I like to say I've been very hard on Tuch this year.   His unwillingness to stand in front of the net on the PP is my biggest peeve. I would have him off PP1 all together. 
And dont get me started on his unwillingness to use his frame to throw a check on a defender.

I think it was the last game or two I questioned if he (Tuch) was the most in accurate passer on the team.

Krebs can be easily disposed and doesnt make $9million. Also, I dont think his effort needs to be questioned as it is the Skinner

Edited by Crusader1969
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7 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

This is why you don't sign everyone to 8yr deals and make all sunshine and rainbows. VERY few NHL players are capable of a consistently high level of play for that long. Samuelsson's contract is laughably bad with how often he gets hurt and how little he contributes. Power should have been bridged. Skinner getting 8 years is another in the long list of Pegula (HAPPY FREAKING BIRTHDAY) *****ups. This team locked everyone in so now they have to figure out how to get everyone TOI that doesn't reduce their skillset to being useless which is BTW, exactly what Krueger did. He used guys in ways that diminished what they could do. Skinner is a goal scorer, put him with guys who pass well and win puck battles. I personally think the claims of his poor backchecking are about has credible is the ppl around here who still claim Reinhart is a bad skater. 

he is not a poor back checker, he is a non existent back checker. Our dman struggle with the puck in our zone due to skinner, and others, leaving the zone and not giving options. He is a bad guy, bad player and we have zero chance of making playoffs next year if he is on team. Only thing Kruger got right was Skinner is a dog and should not play.

Worst signing in history of Sabres. Worse than Leino.

Hopefully they have made decision to buy him out and that is why they are dropping him in lineup.

With Quinn back, he should not dress so he does not get hurt and screw up the buyout.

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1 minute ago, Crusader1969 said:

I like to say I've been very hard on Tuch this year.   His unwillingness to stand in front of the net on the PP is my biggest peeve. I would have him off PP1 all together. 
And dont get me started on his unwillingness to use his frame to throw a check on a defender.

I think it was the last game or two I questioned if he (Tuch) was the most in accurate passer on the team.

Krebs can be easily disposed and doesnt make $9million. Also, I dont think his effort is never questioned as it is the Skinner

Tuch has played... a lot like Skinner. Leaves zone too early, plays on perimeter, not physical etc... We need guys in room holding others accountable. Have given up hope this coach will ever do that.

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You don't do anything with Skinner yet. He'd be hard to move, a buyout may not make sense yet...and he is one of your best scorers.

UNTIL you have a new young guy who is not currently on the team ready to take his spot AND put in 25 goals per season, he stays here and he should.  Skinner and his contract are not the biggest, or even close to the biggest issues this team has. Now, in a year or two, he might be, that was a bad contract. But we haven't gotten to that point yet.

Edited by mjd1001
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1 hour ago, IKnowPhysics said:

I'll also add that Skinner scored 40, 33, and 35 in non-Krueger years and is scoring at a 30 goal pace this year.

1 hour ago, That Aud Smell said:

He’s an erratic point accumulator for bad NHL teams.

 

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