As NHL free agency rolls on, veteran winger Jeff Skinner remains unsigned, sparking debate over whether his brief, underwhelming stint with the Edmonton Oilers has damaged his market value. Skinner, who scored 16 even-strength goals last season at a $3 million cap hit, found himself frequently scratched under head coach Kris Knoblauch. Despite not getting much playing time, Skinner often made the most of it. He showed glimpses of chemistry with Connor McDavid, created scoring chances, and wasn’t afraid to shoot. His lack of production was as much about a lack of opportunity as it was his not playing well. Given that players who had lesser production are getting bigger deals than Skinner’s contract from last season — Trent Frederic ($3.85M, eight goals) and Andrew Mangiapane ($3.6M, 14 goals) — there could be an argument that bringing Skinner back on a discount deal has value written all over it. That is, assuming he wants to come back. At 33, Skinner still has value as a goal scorer. If he’s willing to take
