Sabres acquire Jeff Skinner from Hurricanes for futures package
The Buffalo Sabres have acquired talented winger Jeff Skinner from the Carolina Hurricanes for a package that includes former third-round forward prospect Cliff Pu and a collection of draft picks, which features a second-round selection next summer.
It’s a bit of a puzzling deal, the time of it’s completion notwithstanding. Buffalo appeared to adjust its expected timeline for contention by trading its second-best forward, Ryan O’Reilly, for impressive haul of futures last month. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes, who put the finishing touches on very talented defensive core with the Dougie Hamilton deal, are parting ways with a forward just one year removed from scoring 37 goals.
It’s definitely a sell-low decision on Skinner, who, entering a contract season, still had time to recoup some of the value lost last year when he failed to reach the 50-point plateau.
Why trade him now, for a modest return, when you could drum up some competition in the lead-up to the trade deadline?
From Buffalo’s standpoint — and if you’re willing to overlook Skinner’s uncertain future in Buffalo — there is an argument for swapping Skinner for O’Reilly beyond the net positive in terms of futures as part of both deals. Skinner’s acquisition gives Jack Eichel a superbly-talented winger to play with on the top line, and one of the more dangerous offensive duos in the division.
It was incumbent on management to find an accomplished forward to help extract the best from EIchel as part of their summer shift to speed and skill. Jason Botterill has done that with this deal, but can the Sabres take the necessary strides with No. 1 draft pick Rasmus Dahlin to convince Skinner to stay?
That said, there’s a strong chance Buffalo didn’t give up a single NHL asset to acquire a player that’s averaged more than 25 goals per season across his eight NHL campaigns.
So it’s far from a disaster if the Sabres are unable to extend his stay.
More NHL coverage on Yahoo Sports:
