The San Jose Sharks have made a roster move as they placed forward Jeff Skinner on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a contract termination.
First reported by Elliotte Friedman, Skinner’s move will allow him to become an unrestricted free agent and sign elsewhere. The move may come as a slight shock, but truthfully, this was likely the right move for both the Sharks and the winger. Skinner hasn’t played since Jan. 11 and has been a healthy scratch for the past 10 games.
Skinner, 33, has just six goals and seven assists in 36 games for the Sharks this season. During the 2025 off-season, the San Jose Sharks signed Skinner to a one-year, $3 million contract.
The winger scored the Sharks’ first goal of the season, but hasn’t been featured in recent lineups, despite the team being in the hunt for a playoff spot.
With this move, Skinner can go to a place where his spot in the lineup is not in question. Skinner first made his Stanley Cup Playoff debut with the Edmonton Oilers last season after playing 1,078 career regular-season games.
With the NHL on its Olympic break, there is a trade freeze, so the Sharks are not able to attempt to trade the veteran for anything in return. Skinner’s contract had a full no-move clause through Jan. 30, but shifted to an eight-team trade list after that date.
Skinner will be on unconditional waivers for 24 hours, and after he expectantly clears, any team in the NHL will have the opportunity to try and sign him. Mike Grier’s move to add a veteran scorer to the San Jose Sharks didn’t work out as he’d hoped, but that’s because other players have stepped up more than expected.