Buffalo Sabres 2022-23 Report Card: Jeff Skinner

It couldn’t have come at a better time for his Buffalo Sabres, either. Entering a pivotal season, Skinner helped lead the charge into the next era of hockey in Western New York, and it resulted in the finest season of his career. The struggles he endured now seem like a distant memory, and the massive contract he signed in 2019 no longer looks like a mistake.

Back From the Brink

We’ve talked numerous times about the roller coaster ride that was Skinner’s first few years with the Sabres, so we won’t go down that road again. But it is remarkable to think that, despite the Sabres practically fleecing the Carolina Hurricanes for him in the summer of 2018 (one of the best trades in team history), the media and fans alike once viewed him as a $9 million per year piece of baggage. The Sabres signed him to a hefty eight-year contract after he scored 40 goals in his first season with them (against the wishes of then-general manager Jason Botterill), and it immediately aged poorly.

But just when it seemed as if the hockey world had written him off, the script flipped. After two dreadful seasons, Skinner slowly began to regain his confidence and resemble the player Sabres fans thought they were getting. He found his scoring touch once again and finished the 2021-22 campaign with 63 points to tie his career best. It was a significant reason for the team’s impressive finish to that season, but skepticism still remained. Was the electrifying player of old truly back, or was this just another flash in the pan like his first season in Buffalo proved to be?

Although he was coming off the fourth 60-plus point performance of his career, Skinner entered the 2022-23 season with something still to prove. And boy, did he.

Not Your Same Old Jeff

Since his debut, Skinner has been one of the best pure goal scorers in the NHL and has frequently been among the league leaders each season. But despite his career total sitting at 333 through just 13 seasons, he has often been labeled a “finisher,” someone who relies on others for scoring chances and rarely creates his own. His statistics have given credence to the argument, as while he had scored 30 or more goals five times entering this season, he had reached the same mark in assists only twice. His one-dimensional play seemed to put an asterisk next to his name, but that all changed this year.

Skinner underwent a remarkable transformation in his age-30 season and looked like a new player. Passing was never thought to be a part of his game previously, but he showed just how good he can be at that as well. Fans have become accustomed to him using his quick and shifty skating to evade opposing defenders and drive to the net to score, but that suddenly changed. Rather than scoring himself, he began using his agility to make plays and set up teammates. Opponents so used to his tendency to shoot were caught completely off-guard, and it often resulted in easy goals.

It was a style of play that nobody believed he was capable of and made the Sabres’ onslaught even more dynamic. Credit for it can go in part to linemates Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch, as the trio continued to emerge as one of the best lines in the NHL and combined for 255 points. In all, Skinner finished with 35 goals, 47 assists and 82 points, the latter two being career-bests by significant margins.

But though fans were electrified by the Markham, ON native’s new style of play, it wasn’t the only facet in which he improved. He also made efforts to better his two-way play, an area that was a major weakness for him in the past. And though still far from a Selke Trophy candidate, his increased awareness and newfound ability to draw penalties were a welcomed change for a team that struggled defensively all season long.

Future Brings Intrigue for Sabres and Skinner

With a young roster and very few experienced players, the Sabres badly lack veteran presence. And while teammates have always gravitated to Skinner’s infectious smile and goofy demeanor, he was never exactly known as a leader. This season, he began to take on more of a mentoring role, and it had a noticeably good effect (from “How Jeff Skinner changed the narrative around himself and his contract with the Sabres”, The Athletic, 2/23/23). The Sabres will need that to continue, as he’s under contract for five more seasons.

Despite No. 53’s efforts, his team ultimately finished one point out of the East’s second Wild Card and missed the playoffs for a 12th consecutive season. The ending was undeniably sour for Buffalo, but it was also very encouraging. After what seemed like an eternity in oblivion, the Sabres are back and will enter the 2023-24 season with their sights set on not only returning to playoff hockey but contending for a championship. For that to happen, Skinner will have to continue to be one of his team’s top contributors on and off the ice. Based on everything we saw this year, there’s no reason he can’t.

Next season has the potential to be very interesting for Skinner on a personal level as well. It may be surprising that, though just 31, he’s already approaching his 1000th career NHL game and can reach the milestone this year if he stays healthy. It’s a testament to his durability, and he’ll be hoping to finally get to the postseason as well. (Carolina also never qualified in any of his eight seasons).

Final Grade for Skinner

Once known as just a goal scorer, Skinner has become so much more than that, and 2022-23 can be viewed in many ways as his breakout. It was his best season by far in terms of offensive production, but more importantly, it saw him morph into a complete player and a leader, exactly what his team needed him to be. As a result, any doubts about him that may have remained are erased, and that massive contract no longer looks to be an albatross for the Sabres.

Though they’re coming off their best season in years, there’s no guarantee about what the Sabres will do going forward. But with a very talented young roster coming into its own and players like Skinner leading the way, their chances look very good.

Grade: A-