Breaking: Star forward demanding over $70 million to avoid going to free agency.

It seems that one National Hockey League star knows exactly how much he is worth and is not afraid to make his demands known.

According to a break news report from Buffalo Sabres reporter Jeremy White of WGR in Buffalo, Buffalo Sabres forward Jeff Skinner is reportedly seeking in excess of $70 million on his next NHL contract in order to avoid walking away as an unrestricted free agent this summer. White reports that Skinner's camp is looking for a deal in the neighborhood of $9 million to $9.5 million per season and that he is also seeking the maximum available term of an 8 year contract on top of that. 

That works out to a contract that would pay Skinner $72 million to $76 million over the full duration of the deal and you don't need me to tell you that this is a boatload of money for any team to be giving up to any one player. Perhaps the most interesting thing about Skinner's demands however is the fact that not only does he appear to be worth every single penny of that money this season, but he also appears to have already won over a very large segment of the Buffalo Sabres fan base in very short order this season. 

I suppose that should comes as no surprise when you consider the fact that through the first 20 games of the 2018 - 2019 NHL regular season Skinner has already racked up 14 goals and 7 assists for a whopping 21 points and currently boasts a solid plus minus rating of +8 on the season. On top of that Skinner has remained relatively disciplined since joining the Sabres with just 8 penalty to his name thus far this season. If you were to extrapolate those numbers across an entire season of play we could be looking at one of the most impressive campaigns from a Sabres player that we've seen in a very long time. 

At his current pace Skinner is on track to record over 57 goals this season while adding over 28 assists and could end up with over 85 points on the season if he keeps things going as well as they have. Add to that the fact that Skinner has seemingly developed excellent chemistry with Buffalo Sabres superstar Jack Eichel and you've got a perfect recipe for a player destined for mega bucks from his organization. Skinner had some big time performances during his time as a member of the Carolina Hurricanes but he really seems to have found his home on the Buffalo Sabres and that is also something that is hard to put a price on when you're an organization like the Sabres that hasn't always had an easy time attracting players. 

The timing appears to be right for the Sabres who will have players like Matt Moulson and Jasom Pommenville come off the books next season, two contracts that should clear more than enough cap space to allow the Sabres to fit Skinner's demands under the salary cap. Whether or not they actually give Skinner the money he wants however remains to be seen.

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