Jeff Skinner relishing run to Stanley Cup Final with Oilers

EDMONTON -- Jeff Skinner is willing to play his part for the Edmonton Oilers in their quest to win the Stanley Cup, even if it means stepping aside until needed.

The Oilers forward played 1,078 regular-season games before getting an opportunity to suit up in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, so he is not about to gripe about playing sparingly this postseason.

Skinner is just happy to be in the Stanley Cup Final with the Oilers despite the uncertainty of whether he will play against the Florida Panthers in Game 1 of the best-of-7 series at Rogers Place on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, TNT, truTV, MAX).

“I think any player is aware of how tough it is to get here and how fortunate you have to be,” Skinner said Monday. “Obviously, you have to be on a great team, and even great teams sometimes don’t make it this far. I think every player is aware of how difficult it is to get to this stage, and I don’t think I’m any different in that regard.”

Skinner scored his first playoff goal in a 6-3 win against the Dallas Stars in Game 5 of the Western Conference Final on Thursday to help Edmonton qualify for its second consecutive Final against Florida, which defeated the Oilers in seven games last season.

The 33-year-old has a goal and an assist in two playoff games and has been a healthy scratch in the other 14, largely due to the return of Edmonton forward Evander Kane.

Skinner entered the lineup in Game 5 against Dallas with forwards Connor Brown and Zach Hyman out because of injury. Brown is expected to return for Game 1 against Florida.

“It’s nice to contribute,” Skinner said. “We’re in the Final, so (sitting out) it’s not that tough. You always want to be out there to try and contribute and help the team win, but guys have been rolling pretty well this last little while, so it’s my job to stay ready and it was nice to get in there for Game 5.”

Selected with the No. 7 pick by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2010 NHL Draft, team success eluded Skinner through his first 14 seasons. He played eight seasons in Carolina without a playoff appearance and then six with the Buffalo Sabres, who were in a rebuilding phase.

Skinner then signed a one-year, $3 million contract with Edmonton on July 1, 2024, after having the remaining three seasons on his eight-year, $72 million contract bought out by Buffalo on June 30. He had 29 points (16 goals, 13 assists) in 72 games for the Oilers this season.

“I think everyone felt extremely happy for him to get that goal the other night and play as well as he did,” Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said. “Being on the bench, when that goal went in, there was a little bit of doubt how that puck went in, when it went in and who scored it. I think that Leon [Draisaitl] in front of me shouted that it was Skinner and the other guys just lit up and thought it was awesome. You want to see good things happen to good people, especially good people that have gone through some adversity.”

Skinner is an offensive player on a team full of offensive talent, led by Connor McDavid and Draisaitl, and he was pushed down the lineup because if it. He had to demonstrate an ability to be responsible defensively to earn the trust of the coaching staff, which he did toward the end of the season.

Skinner played in Game 1 of the first round against the Los Angeles Kings, getting an assist in a 6-5 loss. Skinner was replaced by Kane in Game 2, who was returning after missing the entire regular season because of sports hernia and knee injuries.

“There’s been a lot of adversity for him this year,” Knoblauch said. “It hasn’t gone as well as anyone anticipated, but for him to be in the Stanley Cup Final and for him to be able to score a goal to help us get there, we’re very happy for it and he’s deserved it. I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of him at some point of the series, whether that’s for Game 1 or later on, I’m not sure.

“But he’s been a great depth player for me to use. He’s only been in two playoff games this run, and we’ve been fortunate we haven’t had that many injuries and hopefully we’re lucky enough going forward.”

Skinner brings a unique skill set to the Oilers with a distinct skating style developed during his days as a competitive figure skater growing up. His edge work is exceptional, and it allows him to protect the puck against bigger opponents and attack the net from different angles.

“His mobility is tremendous,” Knoblauch said. “He’s not straightaway fast speed like Connor McDavid, but most of the game is about short bursts and having good agility. He’s able to do that. His skating makes it a little more difficult for the defensemen to check you, you’re more elusive and you can spin off a little bit easier, you can protect the puck in different situations. He’s one of the best at it in the League.”

Skinner is hoping he gets an opportunity to showcase his skating ability in the Final. Edmonton, meanwhile, will be looking to avenge a 2-1 loss to Florida in Game 7 last season.

“I think when you get this far, there’s a lot at stake and a lot more emotion and excitement involved in everything around the game,” Skinner said. “It’ll be exciting. This is the goal, every year and every team has the same goal. You get this close, you want to put your best foot forward and that will be exciting.”