After signing Skarek and trading Henry Thrun, the Sharks have continued their flurry of moves by signing free agent winger Jeff Skinner to a one-year deal. The deal carries a $3 million cap hit and has no trade protection.
Now 33, the veteran winger had one of his worst seasons of his career for the Oilers last season, scoring just 16 goals and 29 points in 72 games during the regular season, and 2 points in 5 games in his first trip to the postseason, where he was a frequent scratch.
Skinner’s drop in production could be attributed to age, but the winger did see his ice time drop to 12 minutes, well below his usual 16-17 minutes of ice time he has seen for the majority of his career, and still managed 16 goals at even strength. It's not unreasonable to think he can get back to his 20-goal form from the year prior, with better usage he would see with the Sharks.
For the Sharks, this is a low-risk signing. They needed a stable veteran in the top nine forward to help insulate their younger players, and Skinner provides that. If Skinner can rebound he could fetch something at the deadline, as the 3-million cap hit isn’t going to be problematic; if not, then it can be moved off after one season. Skinner has experience being on young rosters, spending the majority of his career on rebuilding teams, and should be able to help support what will probably be a young Sharks roster next season.
With this move, the Sharks are probably done making minor additions to their roster. This does not rule out a trade or significant addition. With Skinner’s cap hit, the Sharks are now comfortably over the floor and could move out some cap and not worry about taking any back. This could make trading Ferraro or Liljegren more feasible going forward.
If this is the final Sharks roster before camp, they are unlikely to make the playoffs, barring significant growth from their young players and bouncebacks from their veteran buys. Given the Sharks' current situation, this is for the best. You want guys like Celebrini, Smith, Misa, Eklund, Dickinson, Askarov, driving the bus before you spend big on free agents and trades. This season will see their responsibilities increase, and any improvement the Sharks make will come from that internal growth. Grier has done a good job of adding veteran talent, but not outright blocking up spots for the young guys to seize.