New Edmonton Oilers winger sounds more than confident for the 2024-25 season

Imagine being Jeff Skinner, a former first-round pick who’s had as good of a career as one could ask. Skinner, who signed with the Edmonton Oilers this past offseason, has yet to appear in a single postseason matchup, so few may be looking more forward to playing for one of the NHL’s best teams than the 32-year-old. 

Skinner made a name for himself early in his career with the Carolina Hurricanes and, later, the Buffalo Sabres. While in Buffalo, an awesome season led to a long-term deal, but Skinner’s career dipped for a couple of campaigns and the signing, in hindsight, looked like an awful one. 

But over the past three years, Skinner’s play became relevant again, and while he won’t be a star with the Oilers, he will give the team everything he has. 

In a recent article from NHL.com staff writer Derek Van Diest, Skinner said a few things that jumped out, but nothing more than when he stated, "I think the expectations here are pretty clear. That's what you want as a player; you want to be in those meaningful games. I think we have some pretty good pieces here and they went on a long run last year and gained a lot of valuable experience. For me, I'll be able to learn from some guys."

This quip brews confidence, as Skinner, who spent the last few seasons playing for a struggling Buffalo Sabres team, is in uncharted waters. But he more than understands how high the stakes are for the Oilers this season and that anything less than a Stanley Cup won’t translate to a successful year. 

Jeff Skinner could help take the Edmonton Oilers further in 2024-25

That said, it’s also more than clear that Skinner is embracing the challenge and it’s something he’s been long overdue for in a career that’s never seen a single playoff game unfold. He did come close during the 2022-23 season with Buffalo, who finished just one point out of busting its postseason drought, but, unfortunately for Skinner, the Sabres, and their fans, close never means a postseason berth. 

His presence could also factor in as the missing link for the Oilers, and one that the Sabres will miss should they not replace him with an adequate top-six scorer. If Skinner has another good year or two left, the fact he doesn’t need to serve as a star player in Alberta means he can instead focus on providing a second wave of scoring, which is more than what the Oilers had last season. 

If that’s the case, and if the Oilers can be a consistent team all season and go on an identical postseason run, it wouldn’t surprise me if their 2024-25 outing ended with a Cup. And while we can thank stars like Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, solid, reliable players like Skinner ultimately help teams with elite talent win championships. 

And trust me, with a long-overdue playoff drought that Skinner’s faced throughout what has been 14 seasons, you might just see someone evolve into “superstar mode” in April, May, and June.