Oilers Out of Excuses for Underusing 30-Plus Goal Sniper

Jeff Skinner joined the Edmonton Oilers this season on a one-year, $3 million contract as a proven scorer. Known for his shoot-first approach and finishing skills, Skinner is one of Edmonton’s purest offensive talents and was signed for a reason. Despite this, head coach Kris Knoblauch has been reluctant to give Skinner the type of minutes and opportunities he needs to take off offensively.

---

---

Kurt Leavins of the Edmonton Journal notes that Skinner has shown his scoring potential, ranking eleventh in the NHL for expected goals (ixG) at 3.16. This places him just behind Connor McDavid and Zach Hyman, who have each enjoyed substantial time on the top lines. Even with McDavid’s recent absence, Skinner has only occasionally been elevated to the top six, averaging 13:07 per game at five-on-five—third among Edmonton’s four primary skill wingers.

In Thursday’s win over the Nashville Predators, he played 16:47 and posted an assist. The jump made sense given McDavid was out with an injury. Skinner took advantage, as good offensive players should do. Given the opportunity, Skinner tends to do something useful. So why not give him chances where he’s really good?

A Longer Look in Key Situations Makes Sense

Averaging only 1:07 in power play time per game, Skinner has been a traditionally strong option on the man advantage with his previous teams. In both Buffalo and Carolina, he was looked at as a go-to option. As the Oilers look to ignite their offense, and move a 28th-place power play up the NHL standings, Skinner’s skillset could be a valuable asset on the top unit. And, without McDavid, the Oilers lack the excuse to give it a chance.

It’s not as though Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is setting the league on fire. He’s got four points in 11 games, one of which has come on the power play.

Beyond the man advantage, when McDavid returns, the numbers suggest Skinner could excel if played with the team captain. In limited minutes, Allan Mitchell of The Athletic points out that Skinner has better production metrics than Nugent-Hopkins, Mattias Janmark, and Vasily Podkolzin. When Skinner has played with McDavid, he’s delivered.

Edmonton desperately needs more goal-scoring. While the roster appears stacked with scorers, those players haven’t delivered yet this season. Few, however, have shown the clutch scoring ability that Skinner brings.

The Oilers will battle the Calgary Flames Sunday night and are coming in confident, but still without their top star. Skinner needs an opportunity to earn the contract he signed over the summer and this is the best time to let him step up. If he does, put him with McDavid when the captain returns and see if these two can’t find more chemistry and spark that top line in a major way.

Next: Oilers Considering “Wild Card” Trade Before Evander Kane Returns?