UPDATE:
The Sabres didn’t wait until Saturday to make the announcement once McKenzie had tweeted that Buffalo and Skinner had come to an agreement.
IT’S DONE!
We have signed forward Jeff Skinner to an eight-year contract with an average annual value of $9 million: https://t.co/X4sumuHW7H pic.twitter.com/Wwzk9qbPSk
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) June 8, 2019
It appears that the wait is finally over. According to TSN’s Bob McKenzie, the Buffalo Sabres and left winger, Jeff Skinner have agreed on an eight-year contract extension in the neighborhood of $9 million AAV.
BUF and Jeff Skinner, who is a pending UFA, are closing in on an eight-year extension. It’s expected to have an AAV of $9M or thereabouts.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) June 8, 2019
Following what was the most widely discussed outstanding issue on the docket heading into this summer, fans of the blue-and-gold can breathe a collective sigh of relief. For a team that has a wide assortment of issues to address in the coming months, they simply could not afford to lose the 40-goal scorer.
The $9 million cap hit is steep, but as Ben Matthewson pointed out in his article from last week, Skinner is worth the potential financial risk. Analytically, there are very few players on the Buffalo roster who contributes a higher positive impact. The 27-year-old now becomes the second-highest paid player on the Sabres roster, behind captain Jack Eichel.
Stay tuned for updated contract figures and details. For now, rejoice and rest easy knowing that the most pertinent item on Jason Botterill’s agenda has been addressed.