Sabres news: Thompson looks to continue development from last year

In a season that was difficult for all teams across the NHL due to the global pandemic, the Buffalo Sabres dealt with their fair share of issues as the season progressed. The team endured a two-week pause related to COVID-19, a coaching change at the midway point of the season, and a serious injury to their franchise player that they are still dealing with. However, some of Buffalo’s young players showed development towards the end of the season, a factor as to why Don Granato was hired as head coach after the season.

Tage Thompson was one of those individuals who stood out during the second half of the season. He was a healthy scratch on multiple occasions early in the year, and as a result, he struggled offensively, earning only two points (1+1) in 13 games played before Ralph Krueger was fired in March.

Once Granato was named interim coach, a greater emphasis was made on the youth in the organization, and Thompson was one of the top beneficiaries of this change. After missing more than half the 28 games coached under Krueger, he played 25 games in the second half of last season under Granato, garnering 12 points (7+5). He ended the season playing his best hockey as a member of the Sabres.

Significant changes were made in the offseason, which included Sam Reinhart being traded and trade rumors surrounding Jack Eichel during the summer. As a result, Thompson, along with Casey Mittlestadt and Dylan Cozens, will be among those expected to make a significant jump in development throughout the upcoming season.

The role he will have when the season begins will be determined as training camp and preseason get underway. However, when considering his finish to last season, it’s likely the 6’7” forward will alternate between the second and third line on the right side, which is where Thompson has been most familiar since joining the Sabres.

The 2021-22 season is projected to be another rebuilding year where the focus is more on the individual players on the ice rather than the final results of each game. How the young players develop this year, which includes Tage Thompson, will surely impact the long-term future of the Sabres organization.