Right before the Oilers faced off against the New York Islanders, coach Knoblauch made a surprising decision to move Jeff Skinner down to the fourth line. Skinner had been practicing with Connor McDavid on the first line, but when it was game time, Nugent-Hopkins took his spot.
This change shows that the coaches aren’t pleased with how Skinner’s been playing. People thought he might have an amazing season in Edmonton, but he’s only scored once and added two points in his last ten games.
A few weeks ago, Bob Stauffer mentioned Skinner as a possible trade option when Evander Kane comes back from injury. If things don’t improve for him soon, the Oilers might consider trading him away .
Skinner’s Struggles and Future
At 32 years old, Skinner has played over 1,000 NHL games and usually scores at least 24 goals each season since 2014. Two years ago with Buffalo Sabres, he netted 35 goals and got 82 points. Despite some good moments this year, luck hasn’t been on his side. Fans might wonder if it’s too early to give up on him; after all, he hasn’t had much time in top spots.
It would be shocking if this season goes so badly that trading Skinner becomes necessary when Kane is back. Hopefully, he’ll find his scoring groove again and finally play in playoff games for the first time in his long career.
What do you think? Should they keep giving him chances or try something new?
