Reaction to the anonymous NHL player poll

Jan 27, 2024; San Jose, California, USA; Buffalo Sabres left wing Jeff Skinner (53) steps onto the
Jan 27, 2024; San Jose, California, USA; Buffalo Sabres left wing Jeff Skinner (53) steps onto the | Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports

Every season, The Athletic does a poll with NHL players where they ask questions for the players to answer them anonymously. Per The Athletic's Staff, some questions include best player in the NHL, underrated player, etc. The Buffalo Sabres were involved in some topics, one for the wrong reason and one for a good reason. Let's start with the negative, where players were asked their least favorite road city to play in.

It's not really a surprise Buffalo is at the top of the list unfortunately. "It just seems gloomy when you get there." "There's not much in Buffalo." Those were the only quotes in the poll. Yes we always hear about how cold it is and how there is nothing to do, that is all that needs to be said.

The other question involving Buffalo was, "Who's the best player in the league whose face you want to punch the most?" Brad Marchand was the clear favorite with other players trailing him. However, there was one Sabres player on the list. According to a player, Jeff Skinner is the guy on the Sabres. "He's just annoying to play against."

We all know how much of a fan favorite Skinner is on the Sabres. His chippy play could be a reason why. While he is a successful goal scorer, he has a nasty side to him. He is not a guy to lay a big body check or drop the gloves, but he is a talker. It's very entertaining to see his facial reactions when he is chirping an opponent.

While we all love him, it is good to have a player like that on the team. Buffalo needs more players who can be annoying to play against so it's nice to see players on other teams saying something like that about a member of the Sabres.

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