The Carolina Hurricanes pulled out a 5-2 victory against the San Jose Sharks Friday thanks in large part to a two-goal performance from Jeff Skinner.
His big night gives the club reason to celebrate, but behind the scenes, it adds to a conundrum.
Jeff Skinner notched his seventh game-winner of the season. Only two players in the NHL have more.
— Chip Alexander (@ice_chip) February 20, 2016
At 23 years of age, following a couple of roller-coaster seasons, Skinner's future with the Hurricanes appears hazy.
Since a remarkable rookie campaign in 2010-11 that saw Skinner pile up 31 goals and 63 points, the Hurricanes have been waiting for him to duplicate that production.
Outside of 33 goals in 2013-14, Skinner has failed to show the same offensive firepower.
| Year | Goals | Points | Points per Game |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-11 | 31 | 63 | 0.77 |
| 2011-12 | 20 | 44 | 0.69 |
| 2012-13 | 12 | 24 | 0.57 |
| 2013-14 | 33 | 54 | 0.76 |
| 2014-15 | 18 | 31 | 0.4 |
| 2015-16 | 21 | 34 | 0.57 |
However, with 21 goals through 59 games this season, the former Calder Trophy winner has already eclipsed his goal and point totals from one year ago, and is on pace to finish just shy of the 30-goal mark.
The Hurricanes currently find themselves just outside the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, a place very few envisioned them in entering the season.
The team is supposed to be in a rebuild, and heading toward the trade deadline, Skinner may be a good bargaining chip for the Hurricanes as teams look to bolster their clubs with goal-scorers.
Jeff Skinner has 2 so far tonight. He has his 4th career season of 20+ goals- tied for the 3rd most by a 'Cane since franchise moved to CAR
— StatsCentre (@StatsCentre) February 20, 2016
The situation is tricky, however, as Skinner is just 23 and under contract through the 2018-19 season with a cap hit of $6 million.
That cap hit could scare off potential trade partners, while the possibility of seeing Skinner return to his former self must remain in the minds of Carolina's management.
A deal could provide the club with draft picks or prospects, but Skinner could turn out to be exactly the kind of player they're searching for.
General manager Ron Francis isn't likely to make a rash decision, but with the possibility of having either a stud or dud on his hands in the same player, no choice appears to be the easy one.
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