Buffalo Sabres: 5 Observations for the All-Star break

2) Jeff Skinner’s career year

Skinner’s resume was plain for all to see, when the Sabres traded for him in August last year. His potential was high enough, for him to be drafted seventh overall in 2010.

And the talent was there for all to see during a rookie season, which saw the Markham, Ontario native become the youngest ever player selected to the NHL All-Star Game. He finished his rookie year with 63 points and won the Calder Trophy.

Since then, Skinner has gone on to have a productive NHL career, which includes another 60+ point season and two more of 50+ points. And yet, there has still been some surprise about how successful he’s been so far in 2018-19.

In fairness this is slightly understandable, given how productive he’s been. The 26-year-old came flying out of the gates, becoming just the second player in franchise history to score 20 goals before December. (Made more remarkable by the fact he only score once in his first seven games of the season.)

There are some predictions/projections out there, which indicate Skinner can’t keep up his torrid pace for the entire season. In fact, some people believe we’re already seeing signs of this, with him going scoreless — and pointless overall — in his last four appearances.

However, Skinner has already had several short slumps this season and always recovered. Combined with the high and motivation that comes from mixing with the game’s best talent for several days, we believe he’ll soon be back on track and finish this season with several career-highs, including goals and overall points.