Sabres’ Jeff Skinner out week-to-week with upper-body injury

This season, Skinner has tallied 17 goals and 16 assists for 32 points in 38 games. It currently puts him on pace for 71 points in an 82-game season, which would be his second-best season behind 2022-23. Over the previous two seasons, he scored 33 and 35 goals, respectively, and he notched a career-best 82 points last season.

Skinner was acquired by the Sabres from the Carolina Hurricanes in 2018 in exchange for Cliff Pu and a slew of draft picks. Skinner went on to score 40 goals that season and earned himself a big pay raise. He is currently in year five of an eight-year, $72,000,000 million extension he signed in 2019. The contract has an average annual value (AAV) of $9,000,000.

Skinner was initially selected No. 7 overall by Carolina in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. He played major junior hockey for the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and in his draft year, dominated the league with 50 goals and 90 points in 64 games while adding 20 goals and 33 points in 20 OHL Playoff contests. He made his NHL debut in 2010-2011 and captured the Calder Trophy as the NHL Rookie of the Year after scoring 63 points in 82 games.

The 17-20-4 Buffalo Sabres are set to face off against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday, and the red-hot Vancouver Canucks on Saturday.