Winger Jeff Skinner, who will count $6.4 million against the Buffalo Sabres’ salary cap in the upcoming season, has signed a one-year contract with EHC Biel, a team in the Swiss Hockey League.
Skinner, 34, played 32 games for the San Jose Sharks last season, scoring six goals and 13 points before having his one-year contract terminated.
After the Sabres exercised a buyout for final three seasons of his eight-year, $72 million contract following the 2023-24 campaign, he signed a one-year deal with the Edmonton Oilers. He played just five games – his first appearances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs – during their run to the final.
The Sabres are paying Skinner two-thirds of his remaining salary over six years. He will count $2.4 million against their cap in the 2027-28, 2028-29 and 2029-30 seasons, according to capfriendly.com.
Skinner scored at least 33 goals three times in his six years with the Sabres, including a career-high 40 in 2018-19 following his arrival in a trade with the Carolina Hurricanes.
He also registered a career-high 82 points in 2022-23 before dropping to 46 in his final season in Buffalo.
Skinner, who’s known as a one-dimensional player, has recorded 379 goals and 712 points in 1,110 career NHL games.
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The Sabres on Friday announced four hires, including David Warsofsky as their defense development coach.
Warsofsky, 36, played 55 NHL games over parts of five seasons with the Boston Bruins, Pittsburgh Penguins, New Jersey Devils and Colorado Avalanche.
He replaces Zach Redmond, who recently left the team.
The Sabres also named Jack McNaughton their goalie scout and emergency replacement goaltender.
Beginning in the upcoming season, teams must carry an emergency netminder.
McNaughton, 24, played junior for Calgary Hitmen, a Western Hockey League team, and later for the University of Western Ontario.
The Sabres also named Chris Knieste a data engineer, Eric Weissman director of college recruiting and reserve list scouting and Ariel Amaral a data scientist.