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San Jose Sharks place 1,110-game veteran Jeff Skinner on unconditional waivers
Photo credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
Jeff Skinner just landed on unconditional waivers, and the San Jose Sharks are trying to end this contract right now.
That’s not a demotion move. It’s the kind of paperwork that usually means both sides want out.
Skinner came to San Jose on a one-year, $3 million deal, and it was supposed to be clean veteran scoring.
Instead, it ends with the coldest phrase in the league: mutual termination.
He’s produced 6-7-13 in 32 games this season, and the fit clearly never stabilized.
This also hits differently because he’s a former Oiler, signed there as a free agent in 2024 before moving on again.
For a rebuilding Sharks team, it screams “roster lane opened,” not “wait it out.”
Jeff Skinner and the San Jose Sharks pick the hard exit
Sharks fans are tired of placeholder veterans, so this will feel like ripping off a bandage, not losing a cornerstone.
On the ice, Skinner still finds soft spots, but you can’t live on one-way offense when minutes get tight.
If the deal gets terminated, the cap hit comes off San Jose’s books, and Skinner becomes free to choose his next spot.
That matters, because contenders like the Penguins love cheap goals, and February is when those phone calls start.
This is also a message to the room: jobs are earned, and the kids will get the runway.
Now the real question is what San Jose does with the open slot, and whether it turns into a call-up that actually sticks.
Either way, this move feels like the Sharks choosing clarity over nostalgia, and it reshapes the next stretch of their season fast.
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