Buffalo Sabres sign Jeff Skinner to 8-year contract

The Buffalo Sabres late on Friday announced the team signed forward Jeff Skinner to an eight-year contract with an average annual value of $9 million.

Skinner (age 27, 5’11”, 187 pounds) led all Sabres with a career-high 40 goals during his first season with the Sabres in 2018-19. His 40-goal campaign was good for the third-highest total ever recorded by a first-year Sabre, and his 32 even-strength goals marked the highest total by a player in his first year with the team.

A native of Toronto, Skinner has appeared in 661 games since entering the NHL in the 2010-11 season as a member of the Carolina Hurricanes, totaling 442 points (244 goals, 198 assists). Since joining the league, he is tied for 13th among all NHL skaters with 244 goals and ranks fifth with 191 even-strength markers.

Skinner was selected by Carolina in the first round (seventh overall) of the 2010 NHL Draft. He won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the league’s top rookie in the 2010-11 season and has twice been selected to play in the NHL All-Star Game (2011 and 2019).

In addition to his NHL accomplishments, Skinner has represented Canada at four IIHF World Championships, totaling 24 points (12/12) in 33 games, and earning a silver medal at the 2017 tournament.