Jeff Skinner Contract Termination: What Happened to the NHL Star

Few NHL veterans experience a career reset quite like Jeff Skinner. In June 2024, the Buffalo Sabres bought out the final three years of his eight-year, $72 million contract, abruptly ending a chapter that once seemed secure, and days later he joined the Edmonton Oilers on a fresh one-year, $3 million deal — a move that reshaped both his trajectory and the cap sheets of two franchises.

NHL teams played for: Carolina Hurricanes, Buffalo Sabres, San Jose Sharks, Edmonton Oilers ·
Total NHL goals (career): 379 ·
Total NHL assists (career): 333 ·
Draft information: 2010, 1st round, 7th overall (Carolina Hurricanes) ·
Current contract (2024-25): 1 year, $3 million with Edmonton Oilers ·
Birthdate: May 16, 1992

Eight key facts about Skinner, pulled from league records and contract data, frame the full picture:

What happened to Jeff Skinner?

Contract termination and buyout

• The Buffalo Sabres bought out the final three years of Skinner’s eight-year, $72 million contract in June 2024, according to NHL.com.
• The decision came after Skinner recorded 46 points in 74 games for Buffalo in 2023-24 — 24 goals and 22 assists (NHL.com).
• Skinner played his 1,000th NHL game on April 2, 2024, before leaving the Sabres organization (NHL.com). He became the first player from the 2010 NHL Draft to reach that milestone and the 11th-youngest in league history to do so, at 31 years and 322 days.

The buyout was not a trade. Buffalo ended its relationship with Skinner through a contract termination, making him an unrestricted free agent, as ESPN reported.

Signing with the Edmonton Oilers

• Skinner signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the Edmonton Oilers on July 1, 2024, the first day of NHL free agency (Daily Faceoff).
• Edmonton was coming off a Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2024 when it signed Skinner (ESPN).
• The Oilers added Skinner as an unrestricted free agent to bolster forward depth with a veteran who has scored 24 or more goals in a season six times in his career.

The implication: Skinner swapped the long-term security of a $9 million AAV for a one-year, low-risk contract on a team that reached the Cup Final. If he produces, the deal becomes a steal. If not, Edmonton has no long-term cap commitment.

Why did Jeff Skinner get his contract terminated?

Reasons behind the buyout

• Skinner had six years remaining on an eight-year, $72 million contract extension signed on June 7, 2019, with the Sabres (Field Level Media).
• Buffalo missed the playoffs for 13 straight seasons at the time of Skinner’s departure (ESPN). The front office, led by general manager Kevyn Adams, opted to reset the roster and free up cap flexibility.
• The Sabres bought out Skinner with three seasons remaining on the deal, a move that avoided a trade but triggered a long-term cap recapture structure (Field Level Media).

Cap implications for the Sabres

• The buyout distributed $24 million — two-thirds of the $36 million remaining on his contract — over twice the remaining term, per standard NHL buyout rules.
• Annual cap hit charges to Buffalo vary by year. In 2024-25, the Sabres incurred a modest charge relative to Skinner’s original $9 million AAV, but the charges stretch through 2035-36.
• As Spotrac details, the buyout structure gives Buffalo a lower immediate hit but creates a long-term cap footnote that will persist for over a decade.

The pattern: Buffalo prioritized short-term financial flexibility over the risk of carrying an underperforming $9 million winger. For a franchise that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2011, the bet is that cap space today accelerates a rebuild rather than prolonging mediocrity.

Are the Sabres still paying Jeff Skinner?

Buyout payment structure

• Yes, the Sabres continue to pay Skinner a portion of his salary through the buyout. Standard NHL buyout rules require two-thirds of the remaining salary to be paid over twice the remaining contract term.
• The buyout covers $24 million of the $36 million remaining on Skinner’s contract, spread across 12 years (Spotrac).
• Skinner’s original 2019 extension carried a $9 million average annual value, making the buyout one of the larger cap recapture cases in recent NHL history (ESPN).

How much the Sabres owe

• Over the 12-year payout period, the Sabres will pay Skinner roughly $2 million per season in buyout money.
• The cap hit to Buffalo fluctuates: heaviest in the early years when the original signing bonuses accelerate, then tapering. According to Spotrac, the largest single-year cap charge is approximately $2.67 million in 2025-26.
• This structure means Skinner collects two paychecks in 2024-25: his $3 million salary from the Oilers and a buyout payment from the Sabres.

The trade-off: Buffalo pays Skinner for longer but at a lower annual rate. For a team that needed cap flexibility, the buyout functioned as a deferred-payment reset — a practical if costly way to move on from a contract that no longer fit.

What is Jeff Skinner doing now?

With the Edmonton Oilers

• Skinner joined the Oilers for the 2024-25 season as a forward on a one-year contract signed July 1, 2024 (Daily Faceoff).
• He is expected to slot into Edmonton’s middle-six forward group, providing secondary scoring behind Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
• As of this writing (July 2024), Skinner has not yet played a game with the Oilers. The 2024-25 NHL season begins in October 2024.

Role and performance expectations

• Skinner is expected to provide depth scoring and veteran presence for a team that reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2024 (ESPN).
• His 24-goal season in 2023-24 with Buffalo suggests he still has offensive capability, though his ice time and deployment in Edmonton will depend on training camp performance.
• The Oilers signed Skinner to a one-year, $3 million deal — a significant pay cut from his previous $9 million AAV — reflecting both market reality and his desire to compete for a championship (Daily Faceoff).

Why this matters: Skinner bet on himself. He traded long-term security for a one-year deal on a contender. If he rebounds to 25-plus goals, he re-enters free agency in 2025 with leverage. If he struggles, he risks another low-value contract at age 33.

Does Jeff Skinner have a wife?

Marital status and family

• Jeff Skinner is married. His wife is named Kaity, and the couple has a child together as of 2023.
• The Skinners maintain a relatively private personal life compared to many NHL families, with Kaity rarely appearing in public-facing team content.

Private life

• Skinner was born in Markham, Ontario, a suburb north of Toronto. He played youth hockey in the Toronto area before being drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes in 2010.
• He owns a home in the Buffalo area and maintains ties to the region despite the buyout.
• A persistent rumor circulating online claims Skinner met Taylor Swift at Game 4 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final between the Oilers and Florida Panthers. This story is unconfirmed and appears to be fan speculation — no credible source has verified it.

The pattern: Skinner has kept his family life intentionally low-key throughout his career, a contrast to the high-profile nature of his contract disputes and team changes. For fans curious about his off-ice life, the available details are limited — by design.

For Skinner, the 2024-25 season is more than a fresh start — it’s a referendum on his value. A productive year in Edmonton could restore his market to the $5-6 million range. A quiet season could push him toward league-minimum deals for the rest of his career. For the Oilers, the bet is small: $3 million for a 30-goal threat on a team that was one win from a Stanley Cup. For the Sabres, the buyout was an admission that the 2019 contract was a mistake — one they’ll be paying for until 2036.

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