Oilers Forward Jeff Skinner Inexplicably in Coach's Doghouse: Talent Being Wasted on Fourth Line

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Noel Drolet
November 15, 2024 (1:59 PM)

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Jeff Skinner continues to play well offensively despite being in a scoring slump, but coach Knoblauch's demotions may be holding him back from success.

With the Oilers climbing back up the rankings after a slow start, it's obvious to see that their pieces are falling into place. They had lots of new additions in the off-season, which can cause any team to struggle at the start.

Knoblauch is finding where he wants to position these players, but seems to be mightily overlooking the value Jeff Skinner can bring to the team.

Knoblauch hasn't been a fan of the Skinner signing since day 1, and it's not too hard to imagine why. Skinner was bought out for a hefty price by the Buffalo Sabres not due to his offensive production, but due to his lack of defensive responsibility.

Skinner had 46 points in 74 games last year with the Sabres, but ended up a -2 with many defensive lowlights. He was brought in to be a productive offensive winger for the Oilers on a 1 year deal to prove his worth to the team.

Despite ending up on the fourth line at this point in the season, Skinner has been very productive in the limited minutes he's been given.

Skinner has been heavily under-utilized by Kris Knoblauch this season, as he is just the type of winger that would fit perfect on McDavid's wing. He can pass the puck with great vision, and has a great shot and ability to play the boards. He does make defensive mistakes, but with McDavid playing an increasingly better defensive game, he should be able to heavily outscore this issue.

It would be great to see him be given more of a chance now that he's settling in, and give him time on the first or second line. If Knoblauch is able to overlook the defensive mistakes, this could be one of the better complimentary wingers that McDavid has been able to play with.