Can Jeff Skinner get to 400 goals with the San Jose Sharks?

The 33-year-old left winger already has 373 goals over his productive 15-year career with the Carolina Hurricanes, Buffalo Sabres, and Edmonton Oilers.

Skinner signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the Sharks on Friday. He spoke with local media on Monday afternoon.

With his goal-scoring skill, his relationships with Tyler Toffoli and fellow former Oiler John Klingberg, and his overall vibes, Skinner should fit in well with the Sharks.

Skinner played with fellow Sharks winger Toffoli for the Toronto Junior Canadians, when the pair were about 10 years old.

Tyler Toffoli and Jeff Skinner are teammates once again with the @SanJoseSharks. ❤️

(📸: @EdmontonOilers) pic.twitter.com/Zr5fNYUpNr

— NHL (@NHL) July 11, 2025

While Skinner said they had lost touch over the years, Toffoli did reach out when Skinner was signed, and Skinner said he’s looking forward to reconnecting.

It’s been more than 20 years since the two played together.

“You’re asking me to go way back in my memories,” Skinner smiled, when asked which of them was a better scorer back then. “He was pretty good, even when we were younger. So we had a pretty good chemistry. I’ll say it’s pretty even.”

Toward the end of his six-year Buffalo Sabres career, Skinner hosted a comically awkward YouTube series titled “Between 2 Stalls,” where he interviewed his teammates. While nothing of a similar vein debuted during his time in Edmonton, fans of Between 2 Stalls are curious to see if Skinner and the Sharks’ media team cook up anything during his time in San Jose.

Jeff Skinner brings solid goal-scoring experience, and after a drop in goal-scoring and time on ice during his year with the Stanley Cup Final-bound Edmonton Oilers, Skinner is looking to play a bigger role in the San Jose Sharks’ line-up.

Skinner spoke on what experience he can bring to the San Jose Sharks, and his time with the Oilers.

Skinner, on his experience mentoring younger players with the Buffalo Sabres…

As I’ve gotten older, I think old guys can learn from young guys just as much as the other way around. Obviously having experience – and not only my own experience, but the more guys you play with, the more situations or different things happen to different guys. Everyone has their own journey. I think the more guys you play with, the more you pick up, sort of almost by osmosis.

For me, anything I can bring to the young guys, in terms of a situation they may be going through that I may have personally experienced, or may have seen someone go through. Those kinds of things help. Maybe saying what I did and it didn’t work is a way of of helping along someone that doesn’t have the benefit of that experience. So there’s a lot of ways I think, if it pops up, but I don’t think there’s anything that you can force. It just sort of happens organically.

Skinner, on his No. 1 advice to the Sharks’ younger players like Macklin Celebrini…

Number one thing is usually to enjoy it and to have fun with it. Because obviously it goes by quick from my perspective. I don’t think I was that talented or that prepared to come in the league as he was from what I’ve seen from afar – obviously it’ll be different getting to see it up close. In a lot of ways, he doesn’t need me to say anything. I think he’s doing an okay job. Any other guy on the team, or any other older guy on the team, if he had a question about my experience in a certain situation that may pop up, you offer to recount what happened to you and how it played out. But him and the other young guys, they’re doing okay, by my standard, just from watching.

Skinner, on his discussions so far with Mike Grier and Ryan Warsofsky and their expectations.

I talked to them briefly, obviously, when I signed, both of them. Just to continue to take next steps. There’s a lot of excitement around the young core and the talent that’s there. For me, coming in as an older guy to try and support that. Some talk about getting some opportunity. I think as a player, you still have to do the work. You still have to be ready to take advantage of any opportunity that may come your way. But I think for me, just being an older guy, joining a young group that’s ready to take the next step, I think that’s probably the most exciting part about it, and definitely something that was appealing.

Skinner, on turning things back up after a lower scoring season with Edmonton…

I have a lot left in the tank. I’m excited to start a new challenge. There’s some extra juice and extra energy that comes along with that. I’ve got a lot left. When I don’t feel that way, I probably won’t play anymore. So I’m really excited to to get
going.

Skinner, on his first playoffs experience last year, with Edmonton…

It was fun. Obviously disappointing ending, but I learned a lot. There’s been a lot of coverage on my career and how I haven’t had that opportunity as much as I would have wanted [it] personally, but to be in that environment…The team had been there the year before, so there’s a lot of guys there that have a lot of experience that I could learn from, and then going through it, being around that environment was definitely something I learned a lot from. There’s a lot of excitement around that kind of a run. Using that experience going forward will definitely benefit myself.

Skinner, on what he’s heard about San Jose from his Edmonton teammates…

Inevitably guys talk about their past experiences, and where they’ve played in the past, and how they liked it, and how they liked the guys. Emby (Ty Emberson), I’m just realizing I spent the most time with him, probably, because Evander (Kane) was injured for most of the year, and then Jake (Walman) would join us about three quarters of the way through. So Emby had great things to say. He’s a young guy, and that was his first experience, and he had a lot of positive things to say, which is exciting and really a positive aspect of playing in San Jose. If guys speak highly of it, it’s a good sign. I’m excited to get there and experience it myself.

Skinner, on coming to San Jose with John Klingberg…

I’m really excited. First and foremost, he’s a great guy. I got to know him quite a bit and he’s a great character. He’s been around a long time, so he’s had a lot of experience.

His story is, in my opinion, pretty great, in the adversity he’s had to go through the last couple years. To see him get back to the level that everyone saw him playing at in the playoffs, is something that’s nice to see. Especially if you’re someone that saw it every day – the work he put in to get back to that level – I’m really excited to see him continue to progress, and to continue to show what he can do, because he’s got a lot of talent, and it’s fun to be on his team.

Watch the full interview here