Is veteran winger’s time with San Jose Sharks running out? ...Middle East

SAN JOSE – At 33 years old and on a one-year contract, veteran NHL winger Jeff Skinner likely does not fit into the San Jose Sharks’ long-term plans.

But with the Sharks about to welcome back some injured players to the active roster, and precious few spots available, it’s perhaps now a matter of how much longer Skinner will be with the team this season.

Skinner has been a healthy scratch for five straight games and could be on the outs again on Tuesday when the Sharks face the Vancouver Canucks to begin a five-game road trip.

Forwards Kiefer Sherwood and Philipp Kurashev and defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin could all be activated off injured reserve at some point during the trip, which lasts until Feb. 4, with Sherwood and Mukhamadullin potentially available to face the Canucks.

But the Sharks right now only have one spot available on the 23-man roster after assigning winger Igor Chernyshov to the Barracuda last week, perhaps leaving Skinner, who hasn’t played in two weeks, in a precarious position.

Skinner, who has 712 points in 1,110 career NHL games, signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the Sharks as free agent in July. But through a combination of injuries and healthy scratches, has played in just 32 of the Sharks’ 50 games.

Asked Sunday if he’s requested a trade, Skinner said, “I’m aware of the roster situation. I’m aware of the amount of young guys here, and sort of where I fit, obviously, in the big picture.

“I’m not in control of that. I just come to practice and practice. Things go on like that, it’s between managers or agents. As a player, I just worry about playing or practicing.”

The Sharks on Jan. 17 put veteran defenseman Nick Leddy on waivers to free up a roster spot for Vincent Desharnais, who was returning from an elbow injury. Leddy cleared and was assigned to the Barracuda of the AHL.

Asked on Thursday if he might need to place another player on waivers, Sharks general manager Mike Grier said, “That’s definitely something that could be a possibility. We’re going to have to look at everything to kind of get down to the number that we need to be at.”

Skinner’s last game came on Jan. 11 when the Sharks were blasted 7-2 loss by the Vegas Golden Knights at SAP Center.

Skinner had an assist in the loss for his sixth point in as many games. But he was replaced in the lineup by Ryan Reaves for the Sharks’ next game against the Washington Capitals on Jan. 15 and hasn’t played since.

“It’s a numbers thing,” Warsofsky said recently when asked about Skinner. “I think (Skinner) when he came back in there the last time he was scratched, gave us some good minutes, and played some good hockey.

“There’s some development needs to be had with some of our younger players, and they get a little bit of a leash. There’s some guys that we want to see continue to take a look at, in a sense, but we know there’s a lot of hockey left here.”

Skinner has 13 points this season and is averaging 12:21 in ice time per game, as he’s played mainly on the third line and been on the Sharks’ second power play unit.

Asked to evaluate his year so far, Skinner, now in his 16th NHL season, said, “I think I feel like I was starting to find some rhythm and starting to find my game, and now we’re here. It’s tough to really fully assess and take a take a step back.

“I think obviously the older you are, the more experience you have, the easier it is to have perspective in these situations. That’s something that I’m grateful to have. I just try and keep that perspective and just keep working.”

Skinner was scratched a handful of times last season as a member of the Edmonton Oilers, but said this was a “much different situation.” The Oilers were a veteran team chasing the Stanley Cup, while the Sharks have six forwards who are 23 or younger that they’re trying to develop and build around.

“I’ve been around a long enough time to have seen guys in my position, and I’m not special or different than any other player that’s played in the league in the last 100 or whatever years,” Skinner said. “To have experience, the best thing it does is give you perspective on sort of big pictures and scenarios, because I think everyone is doing the same thing day to day.

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“Everyone’s working hard to try and get better and come to practice, be a good teammate and support each other, do all of those things day to day. The more you’ve been around and seen sort of stuff like that, the more you can lean on experience.”

Skinner and Kurashev practiced Sunday but were not among the 12 forwards on the Sharks’ main four lines.

Skinner no doubt feels he can play at the NHL level. He had 82 points in 79 games for the Buffalo Sabres in 2022-23 and has 88 points in 178 games with the Sabres, Oilers and Sharks over the last two plus seasons.

“I think the last few games I played, I feel like I was contributing positively to the team,” Skinner said, “and that was, I don’t know, two weeks ago? I don’t think I forgot how to play. I’m pretty confident in myself to be able to contribute at this level.”

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