Reports started to come out last night that the Buffalo Sabres and Jeff Skinner are getting close on a contract extension. Bob McKenzie of TSN shared an update on NBC Sports prior to Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals last night.
Here’s the video of Bob McKenzie’s segment on Skinner courtesy of NBC Sports pic.twitter.com/zMzBFFbslZ
— The Charging Buffalo (@TheChargingBUF) May 30, 2019
The two sides seem to be working towards finalizing a deal in the not too distant future. A source has indicated to me that his annual average value is likely to come in around $9 million and that they are closing in on a deal, but not final. It could be completed in the next 24-48 hours.
That cap hit may come in on the higher than some fans expected but with the salary cap ceiling going up to $83 million next season it’s in line in terms of cap percentage consumed with other top goal scorers in the NHL.
Some contract math regarding Jeff Skinner:
The top 50 goal scorers (27+ Goals) on Standard Contracts (non-ELC) this season average cap hit at time of signing their contract is 9.07%
If Skinner signs for $9M of an $83M cap he would be at 10.8% of the cap.
— Ben Mathewson (@Ben_Mathewson) May 30, 2019
Stay tuned for updates in the coming days on the contract situation.