Former Buffalo Sabres winger Jeff Skinner surprisingly did not find a home after having his contract terminated last February by San Jose. This summer, the former 40-goal scorer did not latch on with an NHL club and he has opted for a sure thing instead of a professional tryout at training camp.
On Friday, the 16-year NHL veteran signed a one-year deal with HC Biel-Bienne in Switzerland.
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Skinner signed an eight-year, $72 million contract in 2019 after scoring 40 goals in the final year of his contract. The club’s coaching change to Ralph Krueger was not a good fit for the offensive winger, who was relegated to a bottom-six role and scored only 21 goals in 112 games the next two years, but his goal scoring returned under Don Granato, with 33 and 35-goal campaigns in 2022 and 2023.
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After dropping to 24 goals in 2023-24, the Sabres bought out the final three years of his contract; something that has resulted in over $6 million in dead cap space this season. The 34-year-old hooked up with Edmonton in 2025, and played in his first postseason games during the Oilers run to a Cup Final loss.
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In other news, the Sabres announced the hiring of five to their management and scouting staff: David Warsofsky as Defense Development Coach, Chris Knieste as Data Engineer, Eric Weissman as Director of College Recruiting and Reserve List Scouting, Jack McNaughton as Goalie Scout and Emergency Replacement Goaltender, and Ariel Amaral as Data Scientist.
Warsofsky, 36, is a former NHL defenseman who played for four clubs (Boston, Pittsburgh, New Jersey, Colorado) and served as head coach and Director of Hockey Operations of the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays last season. McNaughton, 24, played four WHL seasons with the Calgary Hitmen, and another four years in Canadian college hockey at Western Ontario.
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