The Edmonton Oilers signed Jeff Skinner last July to a one-year deal worth $3 million AAV, which had Oilers fans buzzing and for good reason. The team was bringing in a six-time 30-goal scorer, a proven finisher who knows how to bury his chances. Where he’d play in the lineup—top six or bottom six—was never in doubt initially. It was a no-brainer to place him on one of the top two lines, but the bigger question was which Oilers superstar he’d find the most success alongside—Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl.

The 32-year-old started the season playing on Draisaitl’s line in the first couple of games, picking up an assist. With the Oilers dropping both games, the coaching staff made a change. Against the Calgary Flames, Skinner was bumped to McDavid’s line and he scored just over a minute in. However, the Flames rallied back to win, with Skinner on for two goals against at 5v5.

That said, it seemed the coaching staff had made up their minds about him at that point. Perhaps they noticed some defensive lapses in his game early on, as he was dropped to the bottom six and spent the rest of the season fluctuating between the third and fourth lines, with only occasional spots in the top six and minimal time playing with the Oilers’ two superstars.

Then came a series of healthy scratches, starting with being scratched against the Anaheim Ducks on Dec. 29. After that, the 15-year NHL veteran was scratched five more times over the next month. Next up was the date he’d probably had circled on his calendar before the season started—his first game against his former team, the Buffalo Sabres, on Jan. 25.

Although he had been a first-line regular with the Sabres for years, he was slotted onto the Oilers’ fourth line with Kasperi Kapanen and Noah Philp in that game. Still, he managed to score off a rebound in the second period, contributing to a comeback win for the Oilers, even though he played the third-fewest minutes (10:43 TOI) of any Oiler.

Yet, scoring a goal should surely keep a player in the lineup, right? Well, that wasn’t the case for Skinner after facing his former club, because he was a healthy scratch again just two nights later when the Oilers faced the Seattle Kraken. Overall, it seemed that, despite the first-year Oiler making contributions on the scoresheet, head coach Kris Knoblauch still didn’t trust Skinner’s defensive game.

But perhaps getting healthy scratched the game after scoring a goal didn’t sit right with Skinner, and he had to do a little soul-searching because ever since being scratched against the Kraken on Jan. 27, his 200-foot game has taken a very noticeable step forward.

When he was inserted back into the lineup against the Detroit Red Wings on Jan. 30, not only did he score his ninth goal of the season, but he also made one of the best backchecks I’ve seen from any Oiler this season. He read a play where Evan Bouchard wasn’t going to hold the puck in at the offensive blue line, quickly hightailed it on the backcheck, broke up a 2-on-1, and then skated the puck up ice, earning applause from the Oilers faithful at Rogers Place. Additionally, since then, Skinner has made several great defensive plays, preventing at least a couple of goals two games later against the St. Louis Blues.

Moreover, one thing that’s admirable about Skinner is that, despite being demoted to the bottom six, being healthy scratched, and receiving limited opportunities in an offensive role throughout the season, he hasn’t shown frustration on the ice or on the bench, nor has he displayed poor body language or thrown a visible pity party. He also hasn’t spoken negatively about anyone or anything in interviews. Instead, he focused on improving his defensive game, and, despite the small sample size, he did. This earned him his long-awaited chance to play in the top six again, gaining more trust from the coaching staff and lining up with Draisaitl against the Chicago Blackhawks on Feb. 5—a spot he hadn’t seen since the start of the season.

Skinner had been waiting months for another shot to play with Draisaitl, and when he got the opportunity, he made the most of it. On Feb. 5, he scored a beautiful backhand goal and also feathered a pass to his centerman to earn an assist. Not only did he play the best game of the season, but he also looked quite comfortable in the process. Additionally, he picked up another assist in the next game against the Colorado Avalanche.

That said, I know it’s a small sample size, but it looks like the Toronto, ON native used his last healthy scratch as a wake-up call—because he’s been dialled in ever since. According to Natural Stat Trick, since Jan. 25, here’s where Skinner ranks on the Oilers in several categories:

Additionally, in a recent article by Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic, Oilers general manager Stan Bowman was asked if he’d consider asking Skinner to waive his no-movement clause if things went south before the trade deadline. Bowman responded, saying:

That said, if the Oilers do decide to keep Skinner, despite holding the NHL record for most regular-season games played without a playoff appearance, I have a gut feeling he’ll play an instrumental role in the playoffs. He’s shown a willingness to adjust his game to improve his 200-foot play, and after 15 seasons of waiting for his shot, you can bet he’ll be fired up for his first taste of postseason action—likely adding an extra layer of physicality to his game.

On top of that, another prediction I’ll make is that he’s going to score a very memorable Oilers playoff goal—whether it’s a crucial late-game-tying goal, an OT winner, or a series clincher. One thing that’s evident with Skinner is his patience and poise around the net—he’s scored 367 career goals and has some silky mitts. We’ve seen him tuck some impressive tallies this season, and I wouldn’t bet against him stepping up with a huge one in the playoffs.

With the 4 Nations Face-Off currently underway, it’s likely players not participating will use the time to rest and take care of any nagging injuries. But let’s hope this break doesn’t mess with Skinner’s momentum. After all, it took him half a season to work his way back into the top six, and he’s starting to look like the slick-handed finisher the Oilers had hoped he’d be.

With that in mind, where do you predict Skinner will slot into the lineup down the playoff stretch and into the postseason?