Are the Sabres better off without Skinner?

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

No because they did not replace him with a better player.

Jason Zucker is not better than Jeff Skinner.

Jeff Skinner is not the reason they missed the playoffs for 13 straight years

 

[sr edler]

As for Kessel being mentioned up thread, he scored over a PPG over three straight seasons in Toronto and even made the playoffs there once as the standout player on his team, so I don't really buy that comparison.

Histrionic Leafs fans being upset he couldn't take them to the promised land is not relevant to anything really.

 

[tarheelhockey]

As for Kessel being mentioned up thread, he scored over a PPG over three straight seasons in Toronto and even made the playoffs there once as the standout player on his team, so I don't really buy that comparison.

Histrionic Leafs fans being upset he couldn't take them to the promised land is not relevant to anything really.

Kessel was absolutely raked over the coals for his entire career as an “empty calories” one-way shooter on awkwardly-constructed Boston and Toronto teams. Then he went to Pittsburgh and Vegas, and suddenly his skills were valuable to winning Stanley Cups.

It’s a narrative that gets attached to certain wingers. Hell, at one point it was common on here to see people suggest that Ovechkin was a net negative for trying to win hockey games. A Cup ring ends that debate every time, which is just a dumb dynamic in hockey analysis.

 

[BB79]

We'll see, but I think Skinner will be better off in Edmonton than he was with the Sabres. Playing in the shadow of McDri should take some pressure off him. I'll miss his epically bad goal songs in Buffalo though

 

[Romang67]

We can call it the Kessel Effect.

When they go on to go on deep playoff runs with their new team, do we call it the Kessel Run?

 

[Three On Zero]

We'll see, but I think Skinner will be better off in Edmonton than he was with the Sabres. Playing in the shadow of McDri should take some pressure off him. I'll miss his epically bad goal songs in Buffalo though

He’s been a complete ghost so far (I know I know, it’s only preseason)