NHL Trade Rumors: Is Jeff Skinner on the market?
Jeff Skinner is the latest name to join the NHL trade rumors market after being listed on TSN’s latest Tade Bait list
The Carolina Hurricanes find themselves in the midst of a very competitive Metropolitan Division. Each year under head coach Bill Peters, they’ve seen steady improvement. This season, the Hurricanes are expecting to take a huge step forward and make the postseason. If they don’t, big changes could be coming. One of those changes, according to the latest NHL trade rumors, could involve forward Jeff Skinner.
TSN’s latest Trade Bait column has the Hurricanes forward on the list for the first time this season. Now, being a part of the list means very little and it’s speculation at best. But Skinner has seen his name tossed around in trade rumors in the past, so this isn’t his first rodeo.
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Insider Frank Seravalli notes the Hurricanes, “while not actively shopping Skinner, would be willing to listen to offers on him”. This season, he’s been a slight disappointment. Skinner has 31 points, including 15 goals, in 54 games (as of Feb. 9). This averages out to 0.57 points per game and 0.28 goals per game. Both are the second-lowest averages of his career.
Skinner has a no-movement clause. His contract ends after the 2018-19 season. Skinner has a reasonable $5.725 million cap hit.
My Take
Don’t expect the Hurricanes to trade Skinner at the trade deadline. The Hurricanes are currently on pace to challenge for a playoff spot. Now, if they don’t make the postseason, Carolina will probably be more active in shopping him. At some point, something has to change with the Hurricanes. You can’t keep doing the same things you’re doing if you don’t get the results you desire.
Skinner’s an extremely streaky player, to say the least. He tends to score his goals in bunches. But truthfully, this describes a lot of NHL forwards. The Hurricanes need more guys who can score, not less. They should be open to trading him this offseason, but only if it’s going to help the team. And trading him could make sense if the Hurricanes don’t feel confident they’ll be able to re-sign him.
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Carolina shouldn’t be willing to trade Skinner unless it helps them get a franchise center. He alone won’t get them one. But if packaged with a first-round pick, trading a talent like Skinner could help the Hurricanes get that top center they’ve coveted for so long.
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