Insider reports the Edmonton Oilers could still force Jeff Skinner out of the organization
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When the Edmonton Oilers initially acquired Jeff Skinner during the offseason, fans were already planning the Stanley Cup parade. Fast forward a few months later, Jeff Skinner found himself in head coach Kris Knoblauch's dog-house, playing a diminished role, and relegated to the bottom 6.
While fans eventually grew weary of the disgruntled forward, the overall sentiment towards Jeff Skinner slowly started to change.
Over the past few weeks, Jeff Skinner has been playing a solid defensive game, and Kris Knoblauch has been rewarding him with increased ice time.
Eventually, his solid defensive play transitioned into offence, and that was on full display last night against the Chicago Blackhawks as Skinner notched 2 crucial points.
Although Skinner is slowly shaping up to be the player Oilers fans hoped for, Daily Face Off recently pumped the brakes on the veteran forward in their latest report.
Daily Faceoff lists Jeff Skinner as the ideal salary dump
According to Liam McCormick of Oilers Daily, The Edmonton Oilers have some cap space if Evander Kane stays on LTIR, but if he returns before the playoffs, the Oilers will be pressed against the cap to make any trades at all.
According to Daily Faceoff, Jeff Skinner was named one of 6 players to be traded as a salary cap dump this season.
«With Evander Kane's status up in the air, even roughly $4.5 million in cap space might not be enough for the Oilers to make the moves that they want, and Skinner stands out as a player that they could move on from if they need to make salary cap space in a deal. Every other player either has too much importance with the team or isn't making enough to work well as a cap dump, and since Skinner was brought in to produce, but hasn't done so, it makes him the odd man out here.
While Daily Faceoff makes a compelling argument, it's important to note that Jeff Skinner has a full no trade clause in his contract.
Earlier this season, Jeff Skinner openly admitted he's not interested in waiving his NTC, and he's committed to playing in the post season for the first time in his career.
Personally, I think Skinner is getting hot at precisely the right time, and the conversation about relocating him needs to stop.
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