Edmonton has a longstanding reputation of being carried by its superstars, but the organization took steps towards changing that perception on Monday. After adding Viktor Arvidsson earlier in the day (read Ian's take on that signing here), the Oilers further strengthened their scoring depth by signing Jeff Skinner for one year at an AAV of $3 million.

You'll recall that Skinner was just bought out by the Sabres, five years into an eight-year deal that came with an annual cap hit of $9 million. That buyout wasn't because he's no longer a useful player, it's because the value he was providing wasn't proportional to his salary. At a third of his previous cost, there's much more room for him to surpass expectations.

Although he can be a liability defensively, Skinner has shown a penchant for goal scoring throughout his career. Over the past three years, he ranks 10^th in goals per 60 minutes at 5on5 (min. 100 games played). All forward spots on Edmonton's top power-play unit are accounted for, so Skinner won't be seeing much time with the man advantage this year. That being said, he managed to be a 50–60-point player in Buffalo without much PP production. We could see similar output from him this year if he can crack Edmonton's top-six.

The problem is, Edmonton currently has five wingers capable of occupying their four top-six wing slots. Given their success together this year, I imagine Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman start the year on the top line beside Connor McDavid again. That leaves Viktor Arvidsson, Evander Kane and Jeff Skinner vying for the two spots beside Leon Draisaitl. You may look at Kane's overall production from last year and exile him to the third line, but he started last season with 20 points in 21 games. He suffered a sports hernia shortly afterwards, which hindered his production for the rest of the year. If he's able to rest and recover fully during the offseason – and that's a big if – I imagine a healthy Kane would return to the top-six. His cap hit ($5.125 million) is higher than Skinner's, plus he's signed for an extra year. In other words, the Oilers are more invested in Kane than they are in Skinner, so I think they're more likely to give him that top-six role if he's healthy to start the year – again, big if. Arvidsson's contract (two years at $4 million) is also bigger than Skinner's, so the same logic applies.

Skinner's fantasy value will depend on whether he slots in on the second line or the third line. On the second line, I could see him flirt with 60 points. However, on the third line, I'm not sure if he'd be worth rostering in most fantasy leagues.

Players This Helps

None come to mind.

Players This Hurts

Whoever doesn't crack the top-six between Viktor Arvidsson, Evander Kane, and Jeff Skinner.