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Edmonton Oilers Lose Veteran Forward to San Jose Sharks in Surprise Move

Originally posted on Blade of Steel | By Jack Sutherland | Last updated Jul 11, 2025 4:41 PM ET

The Edmonton Oilers have lost another veteran forward, as Jeff Skinner has signed as a free agent with the San Jose Sharks after only a single year in Edmonton.

The Edmonton Oilers, who are coming off their 2nd straight loss in the Stanley Cup Final to the Florida Panthers, have already lost multiple players from their roster.

Corey Perry has signed with the divisional foe Los Angeles Kings, while Connor Brown has signed with the New Jersey Devils. Additionally, Evander Kane was traded to the Vancouver Canucks, while Viktor Arvidsson, who had played only a year with the Oilers, was traded to the Boston Bruins.

Now, the Oilers have lost another player who had only played a single year in Edmonton. Veteran Jeff Skinner, who is coming off the very 1st postseason appearance of his career, has signed with the San Jose Sharks.

The deal is for a single year and has a reported AAV (average annual value) of $3 million.

Skinner, who won the Calder Trophy as the NHL's best rookie in 2011 with the Carolina Hurricanes, had previously only played for the Hurricanes and Buffalo Sabres. Before this year, he had never played a single game of NHL playoff hockey despite having played over 1,000 regular season games.

The Oilers used him sparingly during the postseason, as he played in only 5 games but had a goal with an assist.

In his 1st and only year with the Oilers, he had 39 points (16G, 13A). He has 699 points (373G, 326A) in 1,078 games with the Hurricanes, Sabres, and Oilers.

Hopefully, he will have savored his NHL playoff experience because the Sharks are projected to come nowhere close to even sniffing the playoffs this year.

This article first appeared on Blade of Steel and was syndicated with permission.

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