Jeff Skinner makes his feelings known after being healthy scratched by Edmonton Oilers

Jeff Skinner is having a tough season with the Edmonton Oilers. His performance has not lived up to expectations for a former 40-goal scorer.

His struggles continued when he was named a healthy scratch during the Oilers' 5-3 loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday. There were hopes that Skinner would fit into the Oilers' top six, especially alongside Leon Draisaitl on the second line, but that hasn't happened.

Jeff Skinner has only managed to collect six points, with six goals and as many assists, in 35 games this season. After being healthy scratched, the 32-year-old acknowledged the situation (0:50):

"I've been around long enough to have a pretty good feel for these kinds of things. So again, as a player, you just focus on working hard and doing your job and getting better every day and trying to contribute to the team the best way you can."

" You always want to play as a player? Yeah, I don't know.... It's... guys want to play. So, it is what it is," Jeff Skinner added.

In his most recent game against the LA Kings, Skinner logged only 62 seconds of ice time in the third period. Apart from underwhelming numbers, Skinner's defensive issues have caused coach Kris Knoblauch to be cautious about giving him more ice time.

It seems like Skinner might not be a good fit for this roster or the coaching style moving forward. Given the current situation, it wouldn't be surprising if the Edmonton Oilers decide to offload the winger during the trade deadline.

The Oilers signed Skinner in July as a free agent on a one-year, $3 million contract.

Kris Knoblauch explains his decision to healthy scratch Jeff Skinner

Jeff Skinner was replaced by Derek Ryan in the lineup during the Oilers' loss to the Ducks on Sunday.

Following the game, coach Kris Knoblauch made it clear why he trusted Ryan over Skinner:

"Derek's been playing really well for us before Christmas. We trust him in a lot of situations. We had a lead late in the game and he's on the ice. That's kind of the role he has, and we trust him," he said.

"He comes out, even after playing well, and we don't want him out of the lineup too long. Somebody had to come out, and I think a lot of the guys have been playing well," Knoblauch added.

The Oilers will play their last fixture of 2024 against the Utah Hockey Club at Rogers Place on Tuesday. The puck drops at 9 p.m. ET.