The Carolina Hurricanes have traded forward Jeff Skinner to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for forward Cliff Pu, a 2019 second-round pick, a 2020 third-round pick, and a 2020 sixth-round pick, the team announced Thursday.

Skinner is entering the final year of his contract, which carries a $5.725-million cap hit, and will be an unrestricted free agent next summer.

The former seventh-overall pick is coming off a slightly down season offensively last year, collecting 24 goals and 49 points. However, he did set a career-high with 93 takeaways - good enough for second in the NHL.

The 26-year-old is just one year removed from a career-high 37-goal season, in which he also recorded a career-high 63 points.

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