On Monday, despite a lull in the National Hockey League, the San Jose Sharks announced they’re parting company with veteran winger Jeff Skinner. The team put him on unconditional waivers in order to terminate the contract he has with the club. If he clears waivers on Tuesday, then he becomes an unrestricted free agent and is eligible to sign with whoever he pleases. The question then would be if Skinner would be a fit for the Flyers down the stretch.
Skinner signed a one-year deal with Edmonton for 2024-25 and was thought to be a veteran piece that might help Connor McDavid and company during their deep playoff run. He registered 16 goals and 29 points in the regular season while adding three points in five post-season contests. This season the Sharks took a chance on him, signing him to a one-year deal. But that has gone pear-shaped obviously. San Jose last dressed Skinner on Jan. 11. This year he scored six goals to go with seven assists.
Would he be a fit with the Flyers?
Skinner scored 40 goals as recent as 2022-23 with the Sabres. And he’s scored 30 or more five other seasons. So he can put the biscuit in the basket. He might be able to help the bottom-six to middle-six forwards. And he might be able to produce somewhat on the power play. After all, for a team that has struggled as much as Philadelphia has, having a known sniper on one of their units might not be a bad idea.
As well, the Flyers might see Skinner as adding some offensive punch during the homestretch. The team has had some difficulty scoring goals, something Skinner hasn’t had too often throughout his career. If anything, the forward might be able to provide some veteran presence for Philadelphia in the hopes of getting the team back on track, and possibly making a late run for a playoff spot.
One last reason might be to try to jumpstart Matvei Michkov. A tandem or combination of Skinner and Michkov doesn’t strike fear into many opposing teams. Yet, at this point, anything that could help serve as a catalyst for the Mad Russian to have a good homestretch should be pondered long and hard.
Is he a realistic fit for Philadephia?
Flyers general manager Danny Briere has a laundry list of forwards he’s acquired that haven’t panned out over the short-term. Whether it’s Jakob Pelletier, Andrei Kuzmenko, Denis Gurianov, or Carl Grundstrom, Briere has never been afraid to roll the dice on a player who might have some upside. Signing Skinner could be such a situation. However, the biggest thing is with the upcoming trade deadline approaching, would it be wise to sign Skinner only to possibly deal him less than four or five games later? Briere has done it before. It’s doubtful Skinner would risk being signed only to be dealt less than a week later.
Skinner most likely will be eager to sign with a club that he thinks has a chance for a deeper playoff run. Or a legitimate opportunity to go a few rounds at least. Philadelphia doesn’t quite fit the bill in terms of being a guaranteed playoff club. They’ll be life and death to get there as it currently stands. So Skinner might seek other avenues to close out his career.
As well, if the Flyers are out of it, and are interested in playing some of the youngsters down the stretch, it’s doubtful Briere and head coach Rick Tocchet would want to play veterans who really have no future with the team in terms of the rebuild. And Skinner shouldn’t be blocking the playing time of Denver Barkey or Porter Martone (should he be with the club before the season’s end) regardless of where the team is in the standings.
So, while the idea of adding a guy who is roughly 20 goals away from hitting 400 for his career might be appealing, it appears that Skinner might have a few suitors taking a chance on him down the stretch. Particularly teams that look far more playoff-bound than Philadelphia. It’s an acquisition that on paper might look intriguing or appealing. But in terms of the overall picture, a 33-year-old forward who can’t quite seem to maintain a spot on a Sharks team that has fewer points than the Flyers doesn’t seem like a sure bet.
