The Buffalo Sabres are buying out the final three seasons of Jeff Skinner's contract, general manager Kevyn Adams announced Saturday.

The buyout will make Skinner an unrestricted free agent and will create over $7.5 million in cap space for the Sabres this coming season.

Skinner produced a career-high 82 points in 2022-23 but managed only 46 points in 74 games in 2023-24.

The 32-year-old has proved to be a defensive liability despite his offensive production over the last three seasons.

Skinner, a sniping winger, has reached the 30-goal mark six times in his career, netting a personal-best 40 in 2018-19 during his first season in Buffalo.

The Hurricanes' No. 7 pick in 2010, Skinner won the Calder Trophy in 2011 and spent his first eight years in Carolina. He was traded to Buffalo in 2018 before signing an eight-year, $72-million contract with the Sabres in 2019.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired pending unrestricted free-agent defenseman Chris Tanev's rights from the Dallas Stars in exchange for a 2026 seventh-round pick and forward Max Ellis.

The trade allows the Leafs to negotiate with Tanev, a Toronto native, before free agency officially opens on July 1. They can sign him to a maximum of seven years because Tanev wasn't on Toronto's reserve list after the deadline, per TSN's Darren Dreger.

Tanev just played out the final season of a four-year pact with a $4.5-million cap hit, which he signed with the Calgary Flames in October 2020 under current Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving.

His agent, Wade Arnott, said there's no agreement for a new contract with Toronto yet, per The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun. The veteran is projected to ink a two-year deal with an average annual value of $4.15 million, according to Evolving-Hockey.

A capable shutdown defender with a right-hand shot and a penchant for blocking pucks, Tanev split the 2023-24 season with the Flames and Stars. The 34-year-old chipped in with 19 points in 75 regular-season games while averaging just under 20 minutes of ice time per contest.

Dallas acquired Tanev in a three-way deal involving the New Jersey Devils before the trade deadline. During the Stars' run to the conference finals, he posted strong numbers, with Dallas controlling 54.5% of the expected goals and outscoring teams 13-10 with Tanev on the ice at five-on-five, per Natural Stat Trick.

Tanev has amassed 33 goals, 190 points, and 1,652 blocks in 792 career NHL games, split between the Vancouver Canucks, Flames, and Stars.

Ellis, meanwhile, is a pending restricted free agent. He spent this past campaign with the AHL's Toronto Marlies, totaling four goals and 14 points in 36 games.

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The New Jersey Devils dealt netminder Akira Schmid and former top prospect Alexander Holtz to the Vegas Golden Knights for forward Paul Cotter and a 2025 third-round pick, the teams announced Saturday.

Schmid gives the Golden Knights goalie depth after the club traded away Logan Thompson earlier Saturday. Vegas general manager Kelly McCrimmon said shortly after the deal that Schmid projects as the No. 3 and the team will try to acquire a backup.

Schmid struggled in 2023-24, posting an .895 save percentage in 19 NHL games and an .894 mark in 23 AHL appearances. However, in 2022-23, he recorded a .922 save percentage in 18 regular-season NHL games, then a .921 mark in nine postseason contests, helping the Devils upset the New York Rangers in Round 1.

The Swiss netminder is a pending restricted free agent.

The Devils selected Holtz seventh overall in 2020. The Swedish winger established himself as a full-time NHLer for the first time in 2023-24, recording 16 goals and 12 assists in 82 games while averaging just 11:38 per contest. His underlying numbers were poor, though.

Holtz, 22, carries a cap hit of $894K before becoming an RFA in 2025.

Cotter brings far less upside than Holtz but has a more defined player archetype. In 2023-24, he notched seven goals, 18 assists, and 233 hits while playing a bottom-six role. His defensive metrics were strong.

The 24-year-old is under contract for two more seasons with a $775,000 cap hit before becoming an RFA in 2026.

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