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Skinner signs $72 million extension to stay with Sabres

Montreal Canadiens v Buffalo Sabres

BUFFALO, NY - OCTOBER 25: Jeff Skinner #53 of the Buffalo Sabres before the game against the Montreal Canadiens on October 25, 2018 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Kevin Hoffman/Getty Images)

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The Buffalo Sabres have a new coach and now they’ve locked up one the biggest names on the roster to a long-term deal.

Jeff Skinner is staying in Buffalo after the Sabres announced Friday night that he has signed an eight-year extension worth $72 million. The contract carries a $9M average annual value and runs through the 2026-27 NHL season. The cap hit is the second-highest on the team behind Jack Eichel, whose AAV is at $10M.

In his first season with the Sabres following last summer’s trade from Carolina, the 27-year-old Skinner set a career high in goals with 40 and tied his career high in points with 63. Of those 40 goals, 32 came at even strength.

Last week, James took a look at whether a hefty, long-term deal for Skinner was worth it. The backend of the deal may not look pretty once the forward is north of 30, an age where many snipers go cold, but general manager Jason Botterill needed to lock him up and show the fanbase that they are moving in a positive direction. The second half decline in 2018-19 left a sour taste in the mouths of fans and after watching Ryan O’Reilly get traded and excel with the St. Louis Blues, seeing Skinner walk for no assets in return on July 1 and produce somewhere else was not an option.

With Skinner tied down, next on Botterill’s summer to-do list figure out what to do with restricted free agents Zemgus Girgensons, Johan Larsson, Evan Rodrigues, Jake McCabe, and Linus Ullmark, as well as unrestricted free agent and franchise favorite Jason Pominville.

MORE: Is Jeff Skinner worth $9M to Sabres?

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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.