Maple Leafs Miss Out on Former 40-Goal Scorer After He Officially Signs Elsewhere

As the NHL offseason continues on, there are still a few free agents available who can make a difference when it comes to adding offense, defense, or just a bit of both.

We've still got names Like Victor Olofsson and Jack Roslovic available, as well as Matt Grzelcyk, however one name that was surprisingly still around was Jeff Skinner, who just made it to the Stanley Cup Finals with Edmonton.

Though he struggled a bit this seasons after coming off a pretty strong stint in Buffalo all things considered, he was still looking for a deal as we head into the middle of July.

However, that changed quite quickly on Friday, with the announcement that the San Jose Sharks added Skinner on a one-year, $3-million deal.

The move comes only a day after the Sharks acquired Ryan Reaves from the Toronto Maple Leafs as a way to increase their cap amount so they can get above the floor, and adding Skinner will also help.

It keeps the MO for the Sharks this offseason too, as they are clearly trying to add as much veteran help as possible with the acquisitions of Reaves, Dmitry Orlov, Nick Leddy, and Alex Nedeljkovic this summer.

Skinner will certainly add an offensive punch and potentially flirt with top-six minutes with a very young San Jose team expected to make a bit of a jump this season but is still a ways away from contending.

In 72 games for the Oilers, Skinner had 29 points (16 goals, 13 assists) which could be considered an off year for the forward. His previous three seasons had him hit 24, 33, and 35 goals for a middling Sabres team, and he's clearly still able to bring it every night; a refreshing change for a Sharks team needing scoring.

However this does sting for the Maple Leafs considering they are still looking to add a name or two on the cheap and a $3-million price tag for a consistent and reliable 20+ goal scorer is a bargain nowadays.

With that though, Toronto really now has only two options left if they really want an impact free agent, and that's adding either Roslovic or Olofsson.

If Brad Treliving decides he still wants to go the trade route and eschews signing either man, it could backfire tremendously; especially if he fails to get a trade to materialize.

So for Jeff Skinner, he gets to play in sunny San Jose and mentor the next group of young superstars in the league.

He's just probably thankful he got into the playoffs once in his career; because San Jose isn't exactly the best destination for playing postseason hockey.