The Edmonton Oilers were deemed by many to be the winners of free agency after signing both Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner. The additions of the two proven point producers made what was already one of the best offences in the league all the more dangerous, and as a result had the vast majority of pundits predicting them to win the Stanley Cup.
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While the excitement was certainly warranted, it is never a guarantee that free-agent signings will mesh well with their new team. That appeared to be the case early on with Arvidsson, though he has started to look better after what was a slow start. Skinner, on the other hand, seemed to be a good fit in the early going with two goals and four points through his first five games. Since then, however, it’s been very, very ugly.
Skinner Playing Fourth-Line Minutes
While Skinner was expected to be a solid offensive contributor for this Oilers team, most, if not everyone, knew he wouldn’t be the 40-goal scorer he once was with the Buffalo Sabres. After all, his power play time was going to be extremely limited, as the first unit for the Oilers was already a well-established one that wasn’t going to be tinkered with.
Still, Skinner was expected to play a top-six role, which in itself made him a solid bet to hit at least 20 goals. To no surprise, he did begin in a top-six role, but after going through a putrid stretch, he’s seemingly lost the confidence of head coach Kris Knoblauch. Over his last six games, he’s played north of 13 minutes just once, as he’s mainly been on the fourth line.
Skinner is currently on a six-game pointless drought, and there are almost no signs that it’s going to turn around any time soon. The issue with the 32-year-old is that he is abysmal defensively, meaning that when he’s not scoring, he tends to be a liability, which he has been more often than not early into his Oilers tenure.
While some Oilers fans believe Knoblauch isn’t giving Skinner a fair opportunity, he’s far from the only coach at the NHL level who has grown irritated by the skilled winger. He’s often been an inconsistent offensive producer due to the fact several coaches demoted him in the lineup because of his defensive play. Knoblauch is just the latest of many to do so.
Oilers May Trade Skinner
As crazy as it may be to believe, Skinner’s time with the Oilers could already be nearing its end. Oilers insider Bob Stauffer, who is as dialed in as any reporter in Edmonton, has mentioned that general manager Stan Bowman may trade Skinner to open up more cap space. After all, space will need to be opened up not only to active Evander Kane, but create room to add a defenceman via trade.
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While it absolutely makes sense that the Oilers want to open up cap space, the fact they are considering moving Skinner to do so shows just how poor this experiment is working out. It is very unheard of for a playoff calibre team to sign a player to a one-year deal and consider moving on from him just months later.
Time Is Ticking
While it’s not too late for Skinner to re-establish himself in Edmonton, his time is quickly running out. He’s going to need to dig deep and find some motivation to play better at both ends of the ice in order to gain trust from Knoblauch, as he undoubtedly took a pay cut to not only try and win a Stanley Cup, but play in the postseason, something he has failed to do throughout his 1,024-game career.
