Jeff Skinner’s NHL run has come to an end for now, and the former Edmonton Oilers and San Jose Sharks forward is headed overseas. Skinner has signed with EHCB in Switzerland through the 2026-27 season, ending a 16-season NHL career that included his only playoff games.
The 34-year-old’s final NHL stop was a rough one. In 2025-26 with San Jose, he managed six goals and 13 points in 32 games.
The season before, he put up 16 goals and 29 points in Edmonton while playing sparingly. Still, Skinner leaves behind a résumé that includes a Calder Trophy, two All-Star nods, three 30-goal seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes, and a career-best 82 points with Buffalo in 2022-23.
It’s not clear whether this is the end of his NHL story, but he will not be in the league next season.
In Toronto, a simple comment from Auston Matthews’ chiropractor has turned into a fresh round of speculation about the Maple Leafs captain. Matthews is said to be making good progress after offseason knee surgery, but Shawn Robek, who has been working with him in Scottsdale, said Matthews’ back is not something they are focusing on this summer.
That was enough to get people talking. Media personality Sid Seixeiro read the remark as a possible sign Matthews had been dealing with a back issue, and the timing has only added fuel to the conversation after a sharp drop in production.
Matthews scored 69 goals in 2023-24, then fell to 33 the next season and finished with 53 points. No one has said a back injury was behind that decline, but the chatter is out there now.
Out in Los Angeles, the Kings may have a couple of veterans who become trade candidates if the season pushes them toward a shakeup. Darcy Kuemper and Trevor Moore are the names to watch.
Kuemper is in the final year of his deal at a $5.25 million cap hit. He struggled last season and lost the starting job to Anton Forsberg, and with Peter Laviolette now in charge, the situation could get interesting.
Ryan O’Hara wrote, “The veteran coach has generally preferred having a clear No. 1 goaltender. If Forsberg earns that job, the Kings could be left with Kuemper and his $5.25 million cap hit as a backup, with the goaltender entering the final year of his contract.”
Moore is another player who could surface in trade talk. He has two years left at a $4.2 million annual average value, but hasn’t locked down a steady top-six role in Los Angeles. He did score 31 goals in 2022-23, and a bigger offensive opportunity elsewhere could suit him.
Neither player has to be moved right away, but both could become names to watch as the season unfolds.
In Winnipeg, Connor Hellebuyck’s future is still a talking point, and not everyone around the Jets seems to know what comes next. According to Murat Ates of The Athletic, there is still uncertainty about whether the goaltender is staying or leaving.
Josh Morrissey made it clear he wants Hellebuyck back. Asked what he knew, he said:
“You can’t believe everything you might see or hear out there,” Morrissey said via the article. “At the end of the day, I hope Helle is back playing for us.
He’s the best goalie in the world. But what happens, doesn’t happen, whatever, that’s with him and his agent and the organization.
It’s something that’s part of the game and part of the business.”
Morrissey also said he didn’t take Hellebuyck’s criticism of the team’s failures last season as a personal jab. He believes the Jets can get back where they need to be.
In Other News...
Adam Lowry Carries A Big Jets Question Into Next Season
Adam Lowrys place in the Jets future is settled for the long term, but the conversation around his next season is more complicated. Winnipeg locked up its captain on a five-year extension that begins in 2026-27, a sign the organization still sees him as an important part of the clubs identity. For now, the expectation remains familiar: third-line center, key penalty-kill piece, steady minutes in the middle of the lineup.
The bigger question is what comes next on the offensive side. Lowrys production dipped last season, and while the Jets value everything he brings beyond scoring, there is still a limit to how far his value can stretch if the points do not rebound. How he looks over the upcoming season will go a long way toward shaping the conversation around his role, even with his contract situation already mapped out. [Read more 🡒]