With the Maple Leafs needing to add some scoring depth, they could look West and try and acquire Jeff Skinner after his coach is starting to lose faith in him.
Brad Treliving and company want to make sure their team is the best possible one it can be when playoff time comes around. Scoring depth and defense are their main issues, and it's more a question of 'when?' not 'if?' when it comes to Toronto making a trade.
There is one potential player who could elevate the team's scoring depth and be able to bring a wealth of veteran leadership and winning acumen. After recently being called out by his head coach, Edmonton Oilers forward Jeff Skinner is quickly losing time with the team if his coach's comments are any indication.
Jeff Skinner's Time Is Running Out
Known for being one of the league's most consistent goal-scorers, Skinner has enjoyed a great NHL career since being drafted 7th overall by the Carolina Hurricanes in 2010.
So far he's registered 363 goals and 319 assists in 1040 games, also being one of the healthier players and rarely missing a game over the last few seasons. Though he's not a defensively focused player, there's no doubt Skinner could bring in a wealth of scoring.
Struggling this season with Edmonton, it seems like an outlier for the forward, as he's averaged 29 goals per season throughout his career. Whether it's a lack of opportunities or he doesn't gel with head coach Kris Knoblauch's system is unknown, but it is strange to say the least.
Even with the notoriously bad Buffalo Sabres, Skinner was a bright spot for the team. His last three seasons with them he had 92 goals including back-to-back 30-goal campaigns.
Clearly he has the offensive ability to be able to contribute, and there is already a lot of firepower on the Oilers, and relying heavily on their stars it means that any mistake Skinner makes is going to be criticized more as he's given less leeway to work with.
Surprisingly, Skinner isn't the most expensive cap hit at $3M and could be a cheap option for Toronto to bring in to patrol their second or third line, and if Edmonton wants to move on from him, it's the perfect combination.
Brad Treliving has been doing his homework and no doubt has some feelers out for the former 40-goal scorer. It would be a great addition and give Skinner a fresh start that could pay off huge for the Maple Leafs.
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