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San Jose Sharks left wing Jeff Skinner (Justine Willard-Imagn Images)

What Could Jeff Skinner Offer the Bruins?

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Josh Deeds | Last updated Feb 18, 2026 8:25 AM ET

The Boston Bruins are at best a wild-card team this season. That is, if they can dig themselves out of the hole they’re in. They’ll need to step up their game as the Atlantic Division competition tightens with the Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, and Tampa Bay Lightning jockeying for the top spot.

Under head coach Marco Sturm, the team is fifth in the division, just under the Buffalo Sabres with a record of 32-20-5.

Sturm’s Bruins hold fast in the second wild spot with 69 points, just below Lindy Ruff’s Sabres, who have 70 points. To dig themselves out of the bottom rung, they’ll need more firepower in the top nine.

This is where Jeff Skinner would come into play.

Skinner was a seventh overall pick in 2010 by the Carolina Hurricanes. He’s had a tough career in the NHL, being bounced around the league from the Hurricanes, to the Buffalo Sabres, Edmonton Oilers, and San Jose Sharks.

He peaked early in his career as a rookie, recording 63 points in 2011, and winning the Calder Trophy as a Hurricane.

What Would Jeff Skinner Bring to the Bruins?

His short time in the Oilers system ended after his 2024-25 run as a free agent, where he signed with the Sharks on a one-year, $3 million deal. His chance to rebound as a reliable producer floundered, which is why he’ll be looking for a new role elsewhere.

Skinner played a total of 1,110 games in the NHL and has had multiple 60-plus point seasons, including his most recent, which was in 2022-23 with the Sabres, where he scored 35 goals and 82 points. He’s not so far removed from that season that he’s an incompetent player, but he could offer an intriguing solution to a Bruins team that needs more firepower in the top nine.

The former Oilers forward played 72 games with the team last season and recorded 29 points in a limited role in Kris Knoblauch’s system.

A player like Skinner needs someone to feed off of as a goal-scorer. That’s why he’d be perfect for the top-six in Boston, with Pavel Zacha or Elias Lindholm (both out injured) as playmakers giving Skinner a chance to show his mettle as a Bruin.

Since he’s an unrestricted free agent, Skinner could be signed to a league-minimum “prove-it” deal to show he’s still capable of being a reliable producer in the NHL.

With limited cap space, this could be an easy add for general manager Don Sweeney, who needs to manage his team’s salary situation with surgical precision.

The Bruins have $1.17 million in cap space per PuckPedia and will need to manage it with frugality in mind to keep the team competitive and fresh with offensive talent.

The 2011 Calder Trophy winner continues to search for the form that has produced four seasons of at least 31 goals. Is a terrific shooter from the left wing who knows how to find openings in the defense and get his shot off before goaltenders can get set. Is not a physical player and needs a playmaker on his line to get him the puck. – Sports Forecaster

While he may not be the “Big Bad Bruins” prototype fans love, he could offer the team a goal-scoring option other than Morgan Geekie and David Pastrnak on the top line.

Caveat emptor for fans, as they should approach a deal like this realistically and not expect an 82-point forward but someone who can offer secondary scoring on a team hunting for the playoffs.

His bargain bin price is a win for the Bruins, who don’t have the cap space to work with, as Sweeney has built contending teams in the past. However, with their newfound status as a team in a retool, he may have to rethink his philosophy for the future if they’re to relive the glory days when they had Patrice Bergeron.

Skinner has played 1,110 games in the NHL as a playmaking, goal-scoring forward, recording 712 points as a Hurricane, Sabre, Oiler, and Shark.