Hurricanes trade Jeff Skinner to Sabres
The Carolina Hurricanes have traded forward Jeff Skinner to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for forward Cliff Pu, a 2019 second-round pick, a 2020 third-round pick, and a 2020 sixth-round pick, the team announced Thursday.
Skinner is entering the final year of his contract, which carries a $5.725-million cap hit, and will be an unrestricted free agent next summer.
The former seventh overall pick's offensive production dipped last year, as he collected 24 goals and 49 points. However, he did set a career high with 93 takeaways - good enough for second in the NHL.
The 26-year-old is just one year removed from a career-high 37-goal, 63-point season.
Skinner immediately becomes Buffalo's most dangerous winger, and it wouldn't be surprising if he flanked franchise cornerstone Jack Eichel on the club's top line. Playing him alongside dynamic rookie Casey Mittelstadt could also be a consideration.
Regardless of where he'll line up, Skinner has averaged 28.7 goals per 82 games over the course of his career - a delight to the Sabres, who owned the league's 29th-ranked offense a season ago.
As for the Hurricanes, their desire to move Skinner has been no secret. General manager Don Waddell admitted he was getting calls on Skinner in mid-June, and a few weeks earlier The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun reported that the Canes were seeking a first-round pick and a prospect in exchange for Skinner. It appears Waddell was unable to get the return he originally wanted.
"However, with Jeff becoming an unrestricted free agent next summer, this was the right time for us to move on, and to provide Jeff with a fresh start in Buffalo," Waddell said in the team's announcement. "We talked to every team in the league over the past four months, and ultimately the Sabres were the team that provided us with the best value in return, including three picks and a prospect we like in Cliff Pu."
Pu, a third-round pick of the Sabres in 2016, is coming off a 29-goal, 84-point season in 65 games split between the OHL's London Knights and Kingston Frontenacs.