On a Buffalo Sabres roster with goal scorers like Jack Eichel, Taylor Hall, and Victor Olofsson and grinders like Curtis Lazar and Cody Eakin, players under the category of “What is his fit?” can include Tage Thompson. The 23-year-old forward is now in his third season with the organization after being acquired from St. Louis in July 2018 as part of the Ryan O’Reilly trade.
While that deal backfired for Buffalo, as O’Reilly won the Conn Smythe trophy on the 2019 Stanley Cup champions, Patrik Berglund and Vladimir Sobotka are no longer on the team, and Thompson remains the lone player from that trade still on Buffalo’s roster.
Although his debut year in Buffalo saw him play in only 41 games, there was a stretch between mid-late November where Thompson earned five points (4+1) in six games. However, that was his best play in a year that saw him score a total of seven goals for twelve points. Since his first year on the Sabres left a lot to be desired, he was sent to the minors late in the year, in advance of playing in the Calder Cup playoffs for Rochester to gain necessary experience.
Thompson spent time in the AHL over the next two seasons, which started between the 2018-19 regular season and playoffs, where Thompson earned 22 points (13+9) in 27 games played for the Amerks. After a strong end to the year in Rochester, he began the following season in a similar fashion, with 12 points (6+6) in 16 games played before being called up to the Sabres.
Unfortunately, his season debut in November 2019 saw him suffer a shoulder injury that required surgery and prematurely ended his season. Despite coming off the injury, his prior play in the AHL gave optimism heading into this season and what he could do for the Sabres.
Despite not playing in a Sabres uniform in over a year, he entered this year’s training camp with the potential of becoming a consistent presence on the team. He responded with a strong training camp and saw Thompson open the season alongside Eichel and Hall.
However, two games were not yet completed before Sam Reinhart was subbed in for Thompson on the top line late in the second matchup against Washington. In the games that immediately followed, Thompson alternated between being scratched and playing in the bottom six and has averaged under 15 minutes of ice time, with one assist in five games played this season.
Although Thompson has continued to improve, he has only played 47 games for the Sabres. While starting the year with Eichel and Hall surely helped his development, placing Thompson in a bottom six role on a nightly basis is important for consistency and building chemistry.
Playing alongside top players like Eichel, Hall, Olofsson, and Reinhart could make it difficult to crack the top six for now. However, his long-term future could change as each offseason brings changes, but how he performs this year will help determine his future in Buffalo.