Skinner waives no-trade clause to be part of Sabres rebuild
Forward leaves Hurricanes after scoring 204 goals in eight seasons
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"I think first and foremost, the young group of players they have, the young core, is exciting," Skinner said. "There's a lot of good players and I'm excited to join those guys and be a piece of the puzzle.
Those words were music to the ears of Sabres general manager Jason Botterill, who suddenly seems to have made them an attractive landing spot.
Armed with a no-trade contract with the Hurricanes, Skinner easily could have blocked any potential move to the Sabres. Instead, the 26-year-old welcomed it.
"After that, you try and do homework based on guys that have played there, maybe guys that you know that are there, friends that have been there in the past, and I've heard a lot of positive things about the city and a lot of positive things about the ownership group, the management group and the fans," Skinner said.
In need of offense after trading center Ryan O'Reilly to the St. Louis Blues last month, the Sabres acquired one of the most consistent scorers in the NHL. To land Skinner, who has averaged 25 goals per season over his eight-year NHL career, Buffalo traded center prospect Cliff Pu, a second-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, and a third-round and sixth-round selection in the 2020 NHL Draft.
"Look, it excited us in that Jeff had a full no-trade and wanted to come to Buffalo," Botterill said. "You want players who want to be in your city."
In other words, the Sabres received a potential first-line wing for center Jack Eichel without giving up anything from their NHL roster.
Hired as Sabres GM on May 11, 2017, Botterill shared the fans' frustrations during a difficult season when Buffalo finished last in the NHL with 62 points (25-45-12). Normally one of the most level-headed executives in the NHL, Botterill's anger boiled over when he slammed the door while leaving the managerial box during a 4-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Feb. 17.
Botterill didn't attempt to mask his disappointment, choosing instead to be very proactive in order to change the on-ice product and the culture during the offseason.
"There was a lot of disappointment within our organization and within our locker room just about the entire season," Botterill said. "What's exciting about this group for us is that it's not just about futures. Here's a guy in Skinner that comes in and helps our group right away. That we're getting a guy that can come in and help us right now is a boost to our National Hockey League players.
"You're always looking to make adjustments. And l when you finish 31st in the League, you have to make changes. I've been very happy with the staff and the people who work around me."
Botterill comes by his glass-half-full attitude honestly. Indeed, there are a number of legitimate reasons he feels the Sabres are trending in the right direction.
He mentions Eichel's eight-year, $80 million contract extension of Oct. 3, 2017 and, nine months later, the selection of defenseman Rasmus Dahlin with the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NHL Draft.
There will be plenty of new blood at forward thanks to Botterill's wheeling and dealing. Patrik Berglund, Vladimir Sobotka and Tage Thompson were acquired in the O'Reilly trade, and Conor Sheary was added in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Goalie Carter Hutton was signed as a free agent.
"Guys want to be here," Botterill said. "You see that with Dahlin, you see that with Jack making the commitment last year to Buffalo, and now you see with Jeff coming in here. They're excited. They want to be a part of Buffalo. They want to be part of things with the Buffalo organization. And that certainly exciting from our standpoint."
Botterill said there have been no talks regarding an extension for Skinner, who is in the final year of a contract he signed Aug. 8, 2012 that has an salary cap charge of $5.725 million.
"Right now our focus with Jeff is to make his transition to Buffalo as easy as we can make it, for him to get settled in, get to know his teammates, for him to get to know (coach Phil Housley), for him to get to know me," Botterill said. "We'll talk about things about an extension down the road."
Skinner grew up in the Toronto-area community of Markham, about a two-hour drive north of Buffalo. In Botterill's mind, if being close to home is another reason Skinner welcomes being with the Sabres, so be it. All that matters to Botterill is that Skinner wants to be in Buffalo.
