Sheng Peng
Where is Jeff Skinner most dangerous?
Obviously, the six-time 30-goal scorer can put the biscuit in the basket. That should help the San Jose Sharks, 31st in the NHL in scoring last year.
Skinner inked a one-year, $3 million pact with San Jose last week.
But how does the 6-foot-0 left winger do his damage? And which San Jose Sharks forward might make the most sense to play with him?
Stathletes’ micro-stats from last year and 2022-23, Skinner’s last 30-goal campaign, suggest where he’s most effective.
Skinner, as he has been his entire career, is still a volume shooter. From Skinner’s rookie 2010-11 campaign to now, his 19.4 Shot Attempts Per 60 is 19th in the NHL (of 481 forwards, 5000-plus minutes, All Situations). Last season, he was second among Edmonton Oilers forwards in shot attempt rate.
What kind of shots does Skinner tend to take?
Cycle Shots
Last year, according to Stathletes, Skinner led Edmonton Oilers forwards with 12.52 Cycle Shots Per 60 at 5-on-5. He was second among Buffalo Sabres forwards in the same category in 2022-23.
Skinner does have that special gift for melting into the scenery and getting open, as you can see by his 2022-23 goals.
So while his linemates are battling along the walls, Skinner is at his best finding the soft spots, waiting for the puck.
Rebound Shots
Skinner led Edmonton forwards with 1.74 Rebound Shots Per 60 at 5-on-5, ahead of even net front monster Zach Hyman. He led Buffalo forwards in the same category in 2022-23.
Over his career, Skinner has proven to be an opportunistic scorer.
Skinner is also dangerous on the rush, but not like he is on the cycle or pouncing on rebounds. Also, the one-timer and deflecting shots aren’t go-to weapons of his. He seems to prefer the catch-and-shoot instead of the one-timer.
Right Linemate?
Skinner found a lot of success in 2022-23 with Tage Thompson, a big possession-oriented center who’s hard to take the puck from. Thompson’s ability to cycle certainly fits with Skinner’s gift for getting open.
On the San Jose Sharks, William Eklund, Macklin Celebrini, and Alex Wennberg were the team’s clear-cut OZ Possession Time leaders by a large margin. Will Smith, granted just a rookie last year, was a distant fifth to Mikael Granlund in this category.
It’s not to say that Skinner needs to play with two possession-heavy forwards, but with his skill-set, it makes sense for him to play with at least one of Eklund, Celebrini, or Wennberg.
Interestingly, Tyler Toffoli, an intuitive goal-scorer much like Skinner, led San Jose in Cycle Shots last year. So splitting Toffoli and Skinner between Eklund, Celebrini, and Wennberg makes sense.
Power Play
Skinner also appears to flourish with Cycle and Rebound Shots on the power play. He’s not a go-to one-timer option.
Based on his 5-on-4 shot chart over the last three years with the Sabres, when he was a primary power play option, it looks like he was used on the bumper a lot, allowing him to capitalize net front.
Per Evolving Hockey:
Once again, Skinner duplicates Toffoli somewhat. This is where Toffoli shot at 5-on-4 on the San Jose Sharks last year:
The bumper and net front positions on a power play can be interchangeable, so Toffoli and Skinner could switch off there, but best guess, they’ll be on separate units more often than not.