Oilers' disrespect towards Jeff Skinner could lead to trade demand out of Edmonton!

It has been confirmed ahead of the Edmonton Oilers’ matchup against the Minneola Wild later tonight that forward Jeff Skinner will be a healthy scratch for the third consecutive game.

Mark Spector of Sportsnet reported the news and revealed how the signing of the free agent this past summer has gone horribly wrong.

In his latest article, Spector points out how the situation has become uncomfortable in Edmonton seeing that Skinner was expected to be brought in as the top-six winger he was signed to be. However, head coach Kris Knoblauch hasn’t used him that way and the team reporter believes that general manager Stan Bowman does not know what to do with Skinner.

“The GM, Stan Bowman, can’t divulge what he really thinks about the signing. Because his boss — team president Jeff Jackson — signed Skinner as a UFA a few weeks before Bowman was hired by the Oilers.

“It’s not fair to ask the superstar centres what they think about a $3 million signing who fell out of the top six, then fell out of the bottom six as well. They’re players, not management.”

And so what could happen next for Skinner? Many fans and pundits wonder if the veteran forward could ask for a trade out of Edmonton ahead of the March 7 deadline, perhaps with the hopes of joining another contender that would give him time and space for the role he can provide on the ice.

Before he was first scratched, Skinner had made this very humble comment:

“I’ve been around long enough, been in different situations,” he said. “(He has) seen how other guys have handled it throughout their careers. I signed here to come to a good team, and obviously, if you have a good team, there’s a lot more good players.”

That’s a positive way to look at it while he attempts to rebuild himself as a bottom-six guy, however, why did the Oilers and Jackson bring him on board in the first place if it was to leave him in the press box? Spector says:

“The mistake here, clearly, is Jackson’s.

"He didn’t sign a guy like Perry, who is resigned to grinding out the final years of his career on the fourth line. He signed a player who was promised a shot on Draisaitl’s flank, or McDavid’s. And now that it’s not working, Skinner is asked to make the mid-season adjustment to a role that, frankly, he may not be equipped to execute.”

There is still time ahead of the deadline for Skinner to adjust and perhaps get over the demotion and find his role in the lineup. However, we can all understand how tough of a blow that is coming from a team that got you with the promise of having you play top minutes with the top guys.