Just before the Olympic break in the NHL, the Flyers were dealt a blow to their lineup. Rodrigo Abols, their steady fourth line center, fractured his ankle. Most likely, he is done for the season. The shame of it all was that Abols was having a decent year. He had scored three goals with seven assists with a -1 rating and a faceoff percentage of 52.1% while averaging 10:30 minutes of ice time a game. That's not bad for a bottom/checking line center.
With his absence, as well as some others, the Flyers have had to do some line juggling. Noah Cates and Sean Couturier are firmly entrenched at center. Christian Dvorak and Trevor Zegras have each spelled some time in that role as well. With Abols out and the Flyers not calling up Jett Luchanko yet, is there anyone the team could call up that fit the bill for the rest of the season.
Skinner to Philly?
Just a short time ago, the San Jose Sharks released Jeff Skinner. Skinner used to be a stud center. He was a Calder Trophy winner in 2011 for the Carolina Hurricanes. He was an all-star in 2019 for the Buffalo Sabres. He's a six time 30 goal scorer; including as recently as 2022-23. While not a hall of famer, he's definitely in the "hall of pretty good" for over the last 15 years or so.
This year, the veteran struggled to find playing time on a floundering San Jose team. The 33 year old has appeared in 33 games and has scored six goals with seven assists; a far cry from he used to put up. Also, Skinner's time in the faceoff circle has been pretty bad, winning just 27.3% of his chances; the lowest in his career.Â
The Sharks, much like the Flyers, are trying to return to competitiveness and have a young squad. They decided that Skinner was no long part of their plans. So, on Feb 16th, the Sharks released him. If any time signs him, they are responsible for the remainder of his salary.Â
The Sharks could use anybody and cut Skinner. So why should the Flyers be interested in him? It really comes down to one reason: veteran experience. He's been in the playoffs, wheras much of the Flyers roster has not. Last year he was a member of Edmonton's Stanley Cup runner up sqaud.
The Flyers are on the outside cusp on making the playoffs. They could sell some players at the deadline, but let's be honest, they aren't going to bring in a grand haul; except for maybe Rasmus Ristolainen. They also could buy, but Daniel Briere said he isn't going to mortgage our potential future for a quick fix at a possible run this year.
This is where Skinner comes in. He's only signed on for the rest of this season. He can fill in a bottom line role while the team tries to earn a playoff spot. If they make it, he can add his veteran experiences to the team. If they don't, it won't really matter. They'll make their AHL callups towards the end of the season anyway and give them a chance to earn some NHL time.
Skinner won't be a game changer, but if you are looking for a quick, cheap fix at center, this one will probably be a band aid for the next few weeks. It could provide the team with a little bit of a spark. Most of all, it isn't worth anything less than what the team is offering now. Much actually be worth kicking the tires on to see if he has anything. And if you do sign him and the team flounders further, maybe you could flip him for a 6th or 7th round pick to a contender.