BUFFALO (WBEN - Brendan Keany) - After the brutal second half to the Sabres season, fans are grasping for anything that could bring hope for the future.
They may get their wish sooner rather than later.
Happy Friday everyone! Negotiations between the #Sabres and Jeff Skinner continue to heat up on a new contract extension. Some of the latest speculations indicate that Skinner's new deal may be around the $9 million AAV mark over eight years. Are you for or against this deal?
— WGR 550 (@WGR550) May 31, 2019But NHL insider Darren Dreger says people should pump the brakes a little bit.
Dreger - Things have definitely progressed this week, as expected, with the negotiations between the #Sabres and Jeff Skinner. To say that something is imminent and that an announcement can be made today is a bit of a stretch, but that can all change with a phone call.
— WGR 550 (@WGR550) May 31, 2019Earlier this week, TSN insider Bob McKenzie stated that there continues to be positive dialogue between Skinner's representatives and the Sabres; however, he did note that there is no indication that a deal is finalized.
"For quite some time now I've been saying that I think the sweet spot for a number is an 8-year deal, somewhere between $8.5 million per year and $9.5 million per year," said McKenzie. "Obviously, Skinner would like to get on the high side of that, and he wants to get a deal in the $9 million range, while the Sabres would like the deal to be in the $8 million range. We'll see if they can come up with a number that works for both of them."
If the Sabres cannot lock up Skinner long term, the winger is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
