Sharks GM opens up about signing veteran forward Jeff Skinner to 1-year contract

San Jose Sharks GM Mike Grier revealed why the club signed veteran Jeff Skinner to a one-year contract on Friday.

The Sharks signed the 33-year-old forward to a $3 million pact following one season with the Edmonton Oilers. Skinner scored 16 goals and 29 points in 72 regular-season games. He was a scratch for most of the Oilers’ postseason run, seeing action in just five games.

Nevertheless, Grier explained the rationale behind signing Jeff Skinner. NHL.com quoted Grier as stating:

“The scouts said he still has the quickness in his game and the smarts and the competitiveness and knows where to go to score and is still hungry to score.”

Grier and the Sharks are hopeful that Jeff Skinner can rekindle his scoring touch in California. Grier expanded on that point by saying:

"It’s not always easy to jump into a team that just went on a long run and went to the Stanley Cup Final to find your kind of niche there. Sometimes you’re in a situation where guys are used to playing with certain players and they like playing with certain players, so it’s sometimes hard to find your niche...”

The comments underscore how Skinner never really seemed to fit in the Oilers’ lineup. Skinner played with Leon Draisaitl at times, while other times he dropped to the bottom six. He got some looks alongside Connor McDavid, but couldn’t mesh well there, either.

Other times, Skinner found himself on the fourth line, trying to carve out a spot for himself. Unfortunately, he couldn’t find one. Now, Grier and the Sharks hope this new opportunity will help Skinner land on his feet in San Jose.

Sharks optimistic about Jeff Skinner’s top-six role in San Jose

Skinner will get a shot in the Sharks' top six this season - Source: Imagn

Jeff Skinner will likely get a look in the Sharks’ top six this upcoming season. Daily Faceoff currently projects the Sharks’ top two lines as Macklin Celebrini centering William Eklund and Will Smith on the top unit. Meanwhile, Alex Wennberg will center Tyler Toffoli and Philipp Kurashev on the second unit.

It’s the second unit where Skinner could slide it. Skinner is a left winger. While Toffoli is penciled in as the Sharks’ second-line left winger, he could slide over to the right side, allowing Skinner to jump in on the second unit.

That move pushes Kurashev into the bottom six. But that’s something that GM Mike Grier already had in mind. NHL.com captured Grier’s thoughts on Skinner’s role in the Sharks’ lineup, stating:

“Adding someone like Jeff who can play in our top six, who has been a proven goal scorer throughout his whole career -- even this year with no power-play time and not a ton of ice time he still has 16 goals – his track record is pretty proven and we needed someone to kind of play up in the top six who can help us score.”

That optimism could spur Skinner to have a bounce-back season. If so, the Sharks could be looking to escape the NHL cellar as the team’s rebuild reaches a new level this upcoming season.