Jeff Skinner Traded to Sabres; Hurricanes Receive Cliff Pu and 3 Draft Picks

The Buffalo Sabres acquired veteran forward Jeff Skinner from the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday.

The Sabres' announcement revealed the Hurricanes received 20-year-old forward Cliff Pu, a 2019 second-round draft pick and third- and sixth-rounders in the 2020 draft in return.

Sportsnet's Dimitri Filipovic was less than complimentary about Carolina's return from the deal:

Skinner had spent his entire NHL career with the franchise, which selected him in the first round of the 2010 draft. The 26-year-old finished with 24 goals and 25 assists this past season, and he's fifth all time in team history in goals (204) and seventh in points (379).

Trading Skinner makes sense. The Hurricanes haven't made the playoffs in nine years, so committing to a long-term deal for Skinner, who will become an unrestricted free agent after the upcoming season, would have been a tough call.

General manager Don Waddell was expected to get more back for a player with Skinner's resume.

In the team's press release announcing the trade, Wadell said the Hurricanes "talked to every team in the league over the past four months" and that the Sabres offered the best trade package," per Arpon Basu of The Athletic.

Even if that's the case, the draft picks don't amount to a whole lot relative to what Carolina lost, while Pu is a 2016 third-round pick who has yet to appear in an NHL game.

The Sabres come out the clear winners from this trade. Beyond what Skinner will provide Buffalo on the ice, the team may be able to flip him for a profit at the trade deadline if it has similar reservations about offering him a multiyear extension.