Oilers 15-Year Veteran Set for Playoff Debut

After 15 years in the NHL, a veteran Edmonton Oilers forward is ready to take his first crack at the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Mar 16, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Edmonton Oilers left wing Jeff Skinner (53) skates with the puck against the New York Rangers during the first period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images / Danny Wild-Imagn Images

The Edmonton Oilers officially punched their ticket to the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, marking their sixth consecutive postseason appearance. While most of the team’s lineup has playoff games under their belt, there is one key veteran who has never played a game in the postseason.

For the first time in his 15-year NHL career, in his first season with the Oilers, Jeff Skinner will play playoff hockey. Before arriving in Edmonton ahead of the 2024-25 season, Skinner played eight years with the Carolina Hurricanes then six with the Buffalo Sabres.

JEFF SKINNER IS GOING TO THE PLAYOFFS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HIS 15-YEAR CAREER 🫨 pic.twitter.com/knKdYKANfi

— BarDown (@BarDown) April 12, 2025

Skinner was a Calder Trophy winner with the Hurricanes in 2011 as the NHL’s Rookie of the Year, but his All-Star work never helped boost Carolina to a playoff spot.

The Hurricanes failed to make the postseason in nine consecutive seasons between 2009 and 2018, lining up almost exactly with Skinner’s tenure in Carolina.

The 2018-19 season was Skinner’s first with the Sabres, and the same year the Hurricanes broke their playoff drought and made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Final.

The Sabres, meanwhile, haven’t made the playoffs since 2011, and Skinner never had a real chance of making the postseason in Buffalo.

With over 1,000 games played and nearly 700 points in his NHL career, it’s impressive that the two-time All-Star has never seen playoff hockey. He just missed the boat with the Hurricanes, and the Sabres are one of the league’s historically bad teams at this point.

Skinner has had his share of ups and downs in the NHL, but no one knows what kind of performer he can be in the playoffs.

In 1,075 career games played, Skinner has scored 373 goals and 325 assists for 698 total points.

Among active NHLers, Skinner is the longest-tenured player to never have played playoff hockey. Luckily for him, that will come to an end this season as he looks to help the Oilers get over the hump and capture the Stanley Cup.

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