Jeremy Roenick Believes Jeff Skinner's Playoff Drought Is Due to Selfishness

Jeremy Roenick discusses Buffalo Sabres' Jeff Skinner being a selfish player.

Every sport is a team sport unless it's something like table tennis. However, the majority of sports have everything to do with teamwork. Players who are only out for themselves don't often get placed in great situations. 

One of those players is Jeff Skinner, who is a center for the Buffalo Sabres. Skinner is not often described as a "team player" and Jeremy Roenick called out Skinner's selfish play during the new Snipes and Stripes. 

"You've played over 900 games and you've not played in the playoffs once. If that is not one of the most telling signs of individualism. Granted you can't win with one person but one person can do damage on the team. They can bring bad mojo, they can bring bad chemistry. They bring holes in systems. They bring bad attitudes. I've heard this about Jeff Skinner. I've heard that he is a complainer. I've heard that he is all about himself."

via Jeremy Roenick, Snipes and Stripes

Roenick is commenting on the widespread knowledge that Skinner is not known for being a team-first player. Even crazier is that he has played in 900 games without even seeing the playoffs once. 

Skinner could be part of huge cultural issues that the Sabres have, and all it takes is one person to poison a team in a very negative way. 

"The kid's got severe talent. The kid can play. He's one of the best skaters, one of the best edge-work guys that there is. But you're right, this is a guy that goes up and he goes away, He comes to play, then he goes away. And it seems to be always on Jeff Skinner's time."

via Jeremy Roenick, Snipes and Stripes

Teams need to have cohesion if they are to survive in competitive situations. The Sabres secured a 42-33 record last season, but it still wasn't enough to hit the playoffs. Ownership might need to take a long look at what is holding them back, and a big piece of that could be Skinner.