When Ralph Krueger was the Buffalo Sabres’ head coach four years ago, the ex-Edmonton Oilers’ bench boss scratched his $9 million winger Jeff Skinner four straight games, steadfastly saying he didn’t have a doghouse.
“I don’t know what that is,” said Krueger, at the time.
Now, coaches won’t admit that publicly, but the New York Rangers might have a whole dog pound, the way those players have performed for coach Peter Laviolette over the last six weeks (if we can digress for one paragraph).
So what was that one-game banishment to the pressbox for Skinner in Anaheim then after three of the previous five games—7:53 ice-time against San Jose, 8:06 against Boston, and 8:31 Saturday in Los Angeles, all on the fourth-line—were all under the 10-minute mark?
If Skinner, who was a $3 million free-agent signing on July 1, hopefully, to play on Leon Draisaitl’s left side, after Buffalo bought him with three years left on his $72 million eight-year deal, is not in the doghouse here, then what would we call it?
The 32-year-old forward, who took about two steamboats to put his signature to paper on that free-agent Oilers offer because of a chance to finally get into a playoff game, might just feel like he’s at the kids’ table right now while the rest of the family is in the dining room. He might also be a sitter when Utah is here Tuesday.
Skinner was out of the top six before the first homestand in October. Skinner, who has played 1,041 NHL games and has 363 goals (288 of them five-on-five, an excellent stat), got a shot with No. 29 but it looks like a failed experiment.
He did get a shot in the top six with Nugent-Hopkins at centre and Zach Hyman on the right when Connor McDavid had a bad ankle but it was a sniff. The real tell came when Hyman and Viktor Arvidsson were both hurt. Skinner stayed on the third line.
Skinner’s history says he’s a finisher with seven 30-goal seasons, but on Draisaitl’s line, he’s the finisher with his 26 goals, which leads the NHL. Leon seems to work better with a winger who keeps plays alive and digs pucks out the corner, and that has been Vasily Podkolzin’s calling card for weeks and weeks, no matter that he’s only got three goals. Draisaitl loved that dog-on-a-bone trait from Kailer Yamamoto when he was here, and it’s the same story with Podkolzin.
Skinner has to be a top 6 left-winger to be successful here because his history says he’s never been a great defensive player—he’s been on for 141 more goals against than for in his career, in good part because he wasn’t on good teams in Carolina or Buffalo, but it’s also on the player. In his 418 even-strength minutes here, no matter the line, he’s been on for 10 goals and against for 22.
Nugent-Hopkins and Podkolzin have the top two LW spots now and Evander Kane, whenever he returns from his core-muscle surgeries—could squeeze onto the second line, pushing Podkolzin down a notch. Mattias Janmark is the third left-winger for now and either Kasperi Kapanen (who is fast and kills penalties) or Corey Perry (both righties who have played left-wing) seem higher on Knoblauch’s pecking order.
Perry has rejigged his career successfully the last half dozen years, going from a top-line RW to a bottom-six player in Dallas, Tampa, Montreal, Chicago, and now here because he’s still smart even though not fast, and he can check.
Is there an avenue for Skinner to move up from the fourth line when playing to the top six? Or is there one of those yellow ‘Road Closed’ barriers up here?
“Absolutely there’s an avenue (to get more ice-time). One if there’s injuries. Hopefully there’s not. Another avenue is other players not playing well.”
Not exactly a ringing endorsement.
“You look at what Podkolzin brings. And Kapanen? Last night (Anaheim) I had him on the fourth line. Janmark (Connor Brown) have been the most five-on-five points on the team next to Leon and Connor (McDavid, points per ice-time,” said Knoblauch.
As a fourth-line player, Skinner seems totally miscast, though.
“Yes, that’s a fair assessment,” said Knoblauch. “You want to put a player in a situation to succeed. But that’s with many players. I have 12 forwards and I’m trying to get the most out of everybody. Sometimes it’s not ideal for one guy.”
Before the Christmas break, Knoblauch was having trouble elevating Skinner up in the lineup. So how did it get to a healthy scratch?
“We have a group (forwards) that has been playing really well. It’s a difficult decision whomever we take out. We took out Derek Ryan (LA) and you look at the game before Christmas where we had a lead late against Ottawa and I trusted him on the ice,” he said. “It comes down to finding a role, finding a spot on the team and other guys are doing a heckuva job on the penalty-kill or five-on-five. It was his (Skinner) turn.
Was it surprising to Skinner, who has six goals and 12 points, that he got the short straw in Anaheim? Not really.
“I’ve been around long enough to have a pretty good feel for these kinds of things,” said Skinner, who knows the score.
He’s not sulking. Not whining.
“I think every player is aware of his role to be successful. He (Knoblauch) puts the best lineup out there to win the games. We’ve got a lot of good players here, a lot of depth. I don’t know what our record is in the last while but it’s pretty good.”
Skinner can’t produce much on the fourth line (no PK time and 25 seconds or so on the second PP unit), but he hasn’t done enough in limited minutes, in-game to catch Knoblauch’s eye and move up the lineup.
Oilers skate Monday
Off practice Monday, Skinner looked like the odd man out, again with Ryan in the middle with Perry and Kapanen, although Knoblauch wouldn’t commit to it.
How hard is it to come to a new team and fit in with a megastar like Draisaitl, who has three 50-goal seasons and has won a Hart trophy as league MVP? Skinner, who has four goals in his last 31 games after two in the first four to start the season at Rogers Place, likes the puck in the offensive zone, but so does Draisaitl.
“Happens on every team in every league (adjustment period). Sometimes it works out, other times you have to work at it. It (chemistry) builds day by day. Hundreds of variables. Sometimes it’s hard, sometimes it fits right away,” said Skinner.
If it continues to be a square peg in a round hole situation with Skinner, they can’t just trade him. He has a no-move clause in his one-year contract and would have to agree to a deal (he’s not waving it to go to a bottom feeder). And unless the Oilers wanted to eat part of his $3 million AAV, Cup-contending teams won’t be clamouring for Skinner off his current struggles.
How does he get more minutes from Knoblauch?
“He hasn’t had confidence with the puck as much as he has in the past,” said Knoblauch. “You look at his shooting percentage (7.6 percent after a career average 11). There’s things to do to facilitate that (more confidence). Showing video, being positive, and putting him in a situation where he can succeed, with players who can help his game. But a lot of that is finding his game.”
As for Skinner doing more away from the puck to earn more trust, Knoblauch deflected that criticism.
“He’s done a good job learning our systems, playing hard, and trying to do things the right way. I have no issues (defensively) with that. It’s him finding his game. Some of it (confidence). Sometimes a coach can nudge a player but a lot of it is on the player,” said Knoblauch.
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