Skinner hopes to finally play in Stanley Cup Playoffs with Oilers

EDMONTON -- Jeff Skinner is entering his 15th NHL season and has yet to play in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, so the chance to sign with the Edmonton Oilers was very appealing.

The 32-year-old forward signed a one-year, $3-million contract with Edmonton on Monday as an unrestricted free agent, one day after the Buffalo Sabres bought out the final three seasons of his eight-year, $72-million contract ($9 million average annual value).

“Obviously, it’s a great hockey team and I’d like to be a part of that,” Skinner said Tuesday. “For me, the thing that stood out most for the Oilers, aside from that they’re a great hockey team, is the interest they showed and the consistent interested they showed in me. Throughout the day, a lot of teams have a lot of things going on and there’s people flying everywhere, and the Oilers were very consistent in their interest and that played a big role (in signing). But it’s pretty obvious they have a great team, and I would like to be a part of that.”

Skinner had 46 points (24 goals, 22 assists) in 74 games with the Sabres last season. He spent the past six seasons with Buffalo, which hasn’t qualified for the playoffs since 2010-11. Skinner also played eight seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes (2010-18), who also never made the playoffs during his tenure.

Edmonton has qualified in each of the past five seasons and just reached Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, a 2-1 loss to the Florida Panthers.

“The run they went on last season is something everyone is aware of and how strong their lineup is,” Skinner said. “It’s an exciting time to be an Oilers fan and to be part of the organization and I’m excited to join.”

Skinner was selected by Carolina in the first round (No. 7) of the 2010 NHL Draft. He’s scored at least 30 goals six times, including 40 with the Sabres in 2018-19. In 1,006 NHL games, Skinner has 670 points (357 goals, 313 assists).

Two seasons ago, Skinner had a career-high 82 points (35 goals, 47 assists) in 79 games. He hopes to put up similar numbers playing alongside either of the Oilers’ star centers, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

“Obviously those are two of the best centers in the League,” Skinner said. “As a winger, I try to read off the centerman, and those guys obviously create a ton of space. They get a lot of attention from the other teams, and they make unbelievably high-end plays.”

Edmonton was busy on the first day of free agency Monday, looking to keep as many pieces of its Western Conference championship team together as possible.

The Oilers re-signed forwards Adam Henrique (two years, $3 million AAV), Mattias Janmark (three years, $1.45 million AAV), Connor Brown (one year, $1 million) and Corey Perry (one year, $1.4 million), and defenseman Troy Stecher (two years, $787,500 AAV). Edmonton added defenseman Josh Brown on a three-year contract ($1 million AAV).

Skinner said several teams showed interest, but he viewed the Oilers as the best fit and wants to contribute to another long playoff run.

“You always want to help the team and produce, and in the past my role has always been to help the team produce offensively,” Skinner said. “There’s some guys on Edmonton that do that pretty well. If I can add to that mix and help compliment some of those guys, it’ll be good for everyone. That’s kind of my mindset, and my goal is to fit in and be a piece of the puzzle and do that thing I do well to help the team and hopefully we can all have some success.

“For me personally, getting a chance to be a part of that group I think is a great feeling, it gets you excited. Obviously there’s a ton of work to do; I think everyone realizes that. But being able to play with that group, I’m sure they’ve gained a lot of useful experience on the run they went on and I’m hoping to slide in, be a piece of the puzzle and contribute, and I’m excited to get going.”