NHL 2013-14: Is Jeff Skinner a Reliable Fantasy Player?

By Adam Rickert on Tuesday, October 29th 2013
NHL 2013-14: Is Jeff Skinner a Reliable Fantasy Player?

The 2011 Calder Trophy winner for Rookie of the Year is at it again as Jeff Skinner leads his Carolina Hurricanes in scoring after nearly a month of hockey. After eleven games, he has three goals and six assists and is one of the only Hurricanes with a positive plus-minus at plus-five.

At only 21 years old, Skinner has the potential to be one of the league's better fantasy options for years and years. He is an incredible talent and benefits from playing next to players like Eric Staal, Jordan Staal and Alexander Semin.

Skinner's problem, however, is that he is fairly injury prone. He missed Monday night's contest against the Pittsburgh Penguins, in which his team lost 3-1.

He will likely return on Friday night, but even when he is playing, there is still a fear that he could re-aggravate a previous injury.

2011 was an amazing year for the youngster since he stayed healthy and played every single game, scoring 31 goals and adding 32 assists despite being only 18 years old. In 2012, however, he missed eighteen games. He still managed to pot 20 goals, but having Skinner healthy for an entire 82-game season is obviously key to success for your fantasy team.

He only missed six games in the shortened 2013 season and still scored thirteen goals, but his plus-minus was a dismal minus-21.

This year could be a different story, as he is on pace to score as many points as he did in 2013 (24) in half as many games. He just needs to get on the ice and stay there without missing significant time.

Skinner is a bit of a gamble because of his issues with injuries, but he is a great asset to have for your team if he is healthy. He could very well lead an offensively-talented Hurricanes in scoring this season and also lead your fantasy team to some big wins.

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Scores

Avalanche
1
Wild
2
Sharks
1
Flames
0
Kings
0
Oilers
2
Bruins
4
Blue Jackets
2
Panthers
5
Maple Leafs
1
Hurricanes
5
Lightning
4
Penguins
4
Devils
1
Predators
4
Blackhawks
2
Blues
5
Kraken
1
Rangers
2
Flyers
3
Canadiens
3
Islanders
4
Senators
1
Red Wings
2
Stars
4
Kraken
1
Ducks
6
Oilers
5
Kings
4
Golden Knights
6
Mammoth
2
Avalanche
4
Capitals
3
Flyers
1
Lightning
4
Maple Leafs
2
Devils
1
Sabres
2
Canucks
2
Jets
3
7:00 PM ET
Panthers
-
Sabres
-
7:00 PM ET
Capitals
-
Golden Knights
-
9:00 PM ET
Mammoth
-
Wild
-
10:00 PM ET
Ducks
-
Jets
-