Jeff Skinner's Contract

[Crusader1969]

we can go around and blame whomever we want but I think the blame lays squarely on one players shoulders.

Carter Hutton - Since Oct 24th 

He ranks last in NHL goalies (min 6 appearances) with a SV% of .869, 2nd last with a GAA of 4.03 and has a record of 1-4-9

Even if he is avg over that time frame and has a record of 5-4-5, you are 2 points behind the leafs with a game in hand. Maybe you can blame JB for not finding a decent back-up but at some  point in time the player has to face criticism.   

Fix your goaltending and a lot of all the other issues go away.  

I know its tough to preach patience in this current environment but I honestly believe the plan was to just get through this season and take advantage of this summers cap space and  start again in 2020/21. hopefully getting contributions from players like Mitts, Cozens, Asplund and maybe even UPL. Plus. further growth in Dahlin as he will no longer be a teenager.

so 29 more games to go. close your eyes if you have to. on to the lottery!

[Broken Ankles]

28 minutes ago, Crusader1969 said:

we can go around and blame whomever we want but I think the blame lays squarely on one players shoulders.

Carter Hutton - Since Oct 24th 

He ranks last in NHL goalies (min 6 appearances) with a SV% of .869, 2nd last with a GAA of 4.03 and has a record of 1-4-9

Even if he is avg over that time frame and has a record of 5-4-5, you are 2 points behind the leafs with a game in hand. Maybe you can blame JB for not finding a decent back-up but at some  point in time the player has to face criticism.   

Fix your goaltending and a lot of all the other issues go away.  

I know its tough to preach patience in this current environment but I honestly believe the plan was to just get through this season and take advantage of this summers cap space and  start again in 2020/21. hopefully getting contributions from players like Mitts, Cozens, Asplund and maybe even UPL. Plus. further growth in Dahlin as he will no longer be a teenager.

so 29 more games to go. close your eyes if you have to. on to the lottery!

Good call out.  Should the Sabres be in on B. Holtby this summer?   As a bridge to UPL?  If another team is offering term, I would think we are out.  The Sabres can save $1.8M  with a buyout this summer, and they already have a fair amount of cap space. 

[matter2003]

5 hours ago, #freejame said:

This just isn’t true. Look at his lines in Carolina. 

Are you trying to claim he had someone offensively worse than or equivalent to Sobotka playing with him? I don't buy it.

Edited February 6, 2020 by matter2003

[#freejame]

16 minutes ago, matter2003 said:

Are you trying to claim he had someone offensively worse than or equivalent to Sobotka playing with him? I don't buy it.

This proves my point. Skinner was most effective this season with Vlad. He doesn’t need playmakers or studs. I’m not sure what you’re getting at with this. 

[LGR4GM]

Vlad contributed basically nothing to that line. Skinner just didn't have a shooting % in the toilet and Johansson was actually useful. 

[Scottysabres]

After having a 40+ goal season Skinner is being mitigated in many ways on this roster in lieu of bringing Olofsson along.

The results are disastrous for both the Sabres and Skinner imo.

Your paying the guy 9 million a season based on his "finishing ability", yet fail to put him in a position to maximize that ability, and that's a very real problem.

I saw Olofsson last night shoot low non 2 open nets where the Avs goalie pad was the only thing to stop the puck in tat area and it did, and I saw Olofsson over shoot an open net once and miss the net on another, 3 of those opportunities were in the 3rd period.

While I appreciate Olofssons success, I believe Skinner connects on a couple of those. Not to mention he had under 3 minutes of ice time in the 3rd? Like, WTF?

So, what's the plan here? Ask him to waive to expose him at the end of next season? Get him a center that can feed him? Keep 9 mil on the payroll and minimize his ice time?

What in Tarnation is going on here?

[sabremike]

For whatever reason coach Anthony Robbins has decided to pick a battle with and destroy a guy who we just signed long term at $9 million and is impossible to trade. And here is a reminder that when Botts signed a guy to act as a hard man when we played Tampa our coach delivered as big a ***** you as he could by playing him less than 30 seconds, a pretty clear act of insubordination. The fact that Botts didn't fire him the second after he got back to the locker room after the game does not speak well of Botts. Imagine some coach pulling that stunt on Lou Lamorello?

[GASabresIUFAN]

2 hours ago, Scottysabres said:

After having a 40+ goal season Skinner is being mitigated in many ways on this roster in lieu of bringing Olofsson along.

The results are disastrous for both the Sabres and Skinner imo.

Your paying the guy 9 million a season based on his "finishing ability", yet fail to put him in a position to maximize that ability, and that's a very real problem.

I saw Olofsson last night shoot low non 2 open nets where the Avs goalie pad was the only thing to stop the puck in tat area and it did, and I saw Olofsson over shoot an open net once and miss the net on another, 3 of those opportunities were in the 3rd period.

While I appreciate Olofssons success, I believe Skinner connects on a couple of those. Not to mention he had under 3 minutes of ice time in the 3rd? Like, WTF?

So, what's the plan here? Ask him to waive to expose him at the end of next season? Get him a center that can feed him? Keep 9 mil on the payroll and minimize his ice time?

What in Tarnation is going on here?

A lack of a legit 2c.  I have wondered throughout the season why Skinner hasn’t received more time with Jack or why Reinhart hasn’t been moved to Skinner’s line to help get the 9 mill $ man going.

 

[Wyldnwoody44]

There is a serious disconnect in this organization, from the top on down. 

[dudacek]

I’m really curious to see if Jeff sits out next game when Kahun slides in.

He’s an offensive player the coach is choosing not to use in offensive situations who isn’t producing and sees his ice time reduced in tight games. His role seems to overlap the most with Kahun’s.

Vesey is more versatile and more trusted, Simmonds is new, Lazar is the go-to for faceoffs, and Frolik plays a ton on the PK.

I’m betting it’s Frolik, but wouldn’t be surprised at all if it’s Jeff.

Then the ***** will really hit the fan around here.

Edited February 27, 2020 by dudacek

[MODO Hockey]

23 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

A lack of a legit 2c.  I have wondered throughout the season why Skinner hasn’t received more time with Jack or why Reinhart hasn’t been moved to Skinner’s line to help get the 9 mill $ man going.

 

Well you would asume a player that gets 9 mill could play with a half decent center right, i mean thats what he did in Carolina.
2017 he played the 3rd line and had Derek Ryan as center, 24 goals. I mean come on .. there is obviously something wrong here

Skinner need to get his sh1t together and bring his game up front. This dude is so lost now, maybe irl stuff and a very bad self confidence.

 

[freester]

Skinners contract should have been comparable to what Kreider just got form the Rangers ( 7 years 46 million).  I think Kreider is a better all around player.  Instead Botts grossly overpaid and now we are stuck for years.  I'm not sure what 2nd line Center we will have that can get Skinner going.  I like Ralph, he is one of Botts best moves,  but Idk what's going to happen with Skinner.

[Carmel Corn]

IMHO, Ralph's "system" is better suited for guys with higher hockey IQ's.  Skinner has some strengths, but his IQ does not overwhelm me.  He will struggle until he can be combined with a center or playmaker who can think and anticipate Skinner's game and feed him the biscuit. 

[sabremike]

8 minutes ago, Carmel Corn said:

IMHO, Ralph's "system" is better suited for guys with higher hockey IQ's.  Skinner has some strengths, but his IQ does not overwhelm me.  He will struggle until he can be combined with a center or playmaker who can think and anticipate Skinner's game and feed him the biscuit. 

If only we had a center who fit that exact description and who has been proven to work great with Jeff...

[Sabre fan]

29 minutes ago, sabremike said:

If only we had a center who fit that exact description and who has been proven to work great with Jeff...

did we not have a all-around great 2nd center at some point recently? anyways I simply cannot agree that a guy making that kind of money should be wasting away on the 2nd line. This contract is going to haunt us for many years to come. NYR get Kreider who is a far better all-around player for far less then JBotto gave Skinner. Of course if JBotto had let Skinner walk we would have been angry then too.

[bob_sauve28]

1 hour ago, dudacek said:

I’m really curious to see if Jeff sits out next game when Kahun slides in.

He’s an offensive player the coach is choosing not to use in offensive situations who isn’t producing and sees his ice time reduced in tight games. His role seems to overlap the most with Kahun’s.

Vesey is more versatile and more trusted, Simmonds is new, Lazar is the go-to for faceoffs, and Frolik plays a ton on the PK.

I’m betting it’s Frolik, but wouldn’t be surprised at all if it’s Jeff.

Then the ***** will really hit the fan around here.

That would be a real statement about something. Obviously, Ralf doesn’t like Skinner. Has the media asked him about this? 

[bob_sauve28]

4 minutes ago, Sabre fan said:

Of course if JBotto had let Skinner walk we would have been angry then too.

But good leaders have to make tough decisions. 

[LabattBlue]

If there is a compliance buyout at the start of the next CBA(the current CBA runs through the 21-22 season), Skinner is a goner.

 

That being said, he is here for at least two more seasons, and RK has to find a way to work with Skinner, as opposed to making Botts look like an idiot by not using him correctly.

Edited February 27, 2020 by LabattBlue

[WildCard]

The overreaction to one season where Skinner has been hurt and centered by Johan Larsson, Evan Rodrigues, and Marcus Johansson, is ***** hilarious. 

[GASabresIUFAN]

17 minutes ago, WildCard said:

The overreaction to one season where Skinner has been hurt and centered by Johan Larsson, Evan Rodrigues, and Marcus Johansson, is ***** hilarious. 

Can you imagine what people would be saying if Jbot hadn’t re-signed Skinner after a 40 goal campaign?

[WildCard]

Just now, GASabresIUFAN said:

Can you imagine what people would be saying if Jbot hadn’t re-signed Skinner after a 40 goal campaign?

Was just thinking the same thing

[GASabresIUFAN]

Just now, WildCard said:

Was just thinking the same thing

They are lamenting the trade of Kane, who wasn’t re-signing here and maxed out here at 28 goals and has never scored more then 30 in his career.

[bob_sauve28]

17 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Can you imagine what people would be saying if Jbot hadn’t re-signed Skinner after a 40 goal campaign?

So he gave a guy $72 million just so people wouldn't say bad things about him? 

If I were him I would have called all the reporters in and said: The guy just wanted too much, for too long. I'm not going to saddle this organization for the better part of a decade with a contract I'm not sure will pay off. Will Jeff score 40 ever again? I don't know. We will be actively in the market for scoring talent, we have money to spend and we want to bring in more talent. I wish it had worked out with Jeff, we think 6 million for 5 years is about what he is worth, he thinks otherwise. Good luck to him. 

[#freejame]

38 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Can you imagine what people would be saying if Jbot hadn’t re-signed Skinner after a 40 goal campaign?

I was totally fine selling him at the deadline. He only had two teams he wanted to play for and one was maxed on the cap. It was bad then and it’s bad now. This season pretty much mirrors his second half from last season doesn’t it?

[LabattBlue]

4 minutes ago, #freejame said:

I was totally fine selling him at the deadline. He only had two teams he wanted to play for and one was maxed on the cap. It was bad then and it’s bad now. This season pretty much mirrors his second half from last season doesn’t it?

If you don't mind me asking, who is Jame and why is he locked up?