Sharks place Jeff Skinner on unconditional waivers to terminate contract
The San Jose Sharks have placed winger Jeff Skinner on unconditional waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported Monday.
Skinner, 33, has collected just six goals and 13 points in 32 games with the Sharks this season. The 5’11” left wing signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the club last July as an unrestricted free agent.
Assuming Skinner clears waivers on Tuesday, the Sharks will be able to terminate his contract through a mutual agreement between the team and player.
Jeff Skinner (SJ) on unconditional waivers for purposes of contract termination
The Carolina Hurricanes originally selected Skinner in the first round (No. 7 overall) of the 2010 NHL Draft. The Markham, Ontario product made the jump to the NHL immediately after being drafted and won the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie after scoring 31 goals and 63 points as an 18-year-old during the 2010-11 season.
Skinner spent the first eight seasons of his NHL career in Carolina before being traded to the Buffalo Sabres in 2018. Coincidentally, the Hurricanes ended a decade-long playoff drought the following year. After scoring a career-high 40 goals in his first season with the Sabres, Skinner signed a long-term extension with the club worth $9 million annually; in 2024, the Sabres bought Skinner out from the final three years of his contract.
As a late addition to the 2024 unrestricted free agency class, Skinner signed a one-year deal with the Edmonton Oilers for the 2024-25 season in a bid to finally make his first career Stanley Cup Playoff appearance. Skinner scored 16 goals and 29 points in 72 games with the Oilers during the regular season but was scratched for all but five postseason games during the Oilers’ run to a second consecutive Stanley Cup Final berth.
Through 1,110 career games over parts of 16 seasons with the Hurricanes, Sabres, Oilers, and Sharks, Skinner has collected 379 goals and 712 points. Those five playoff contests he skated in with the Oilers last spring, as well as the two points he collected during that run, remain the only ones of his NHL career to date.