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Buffalo Sabres first line will finally enjoy stability in 2022-23

By Sion Fawkes

MONTREAL, QC - FEBRUARY 13: Jeff Skinner #53 of the Buffalo Sabres celebrates his goal with teammates Casey Fitzgerald #45 (L) and Alex Tuch #89 (R) during the first period against the Montreal Canadiens at Centre Bell on February 13, 2022 in Montreal, Canada. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC - FEBRUARY 13: Jeff Skinner #53 of the Buffalo Sabres celebrates his goal with teammates Casey Fitzgerald #45 (L) and Alex Tuch #89 (R) during the first period against the Montreal Canadiens at Centre Bell on February 13, 2022 in Montreal, Canada. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /
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The Buffalo Sabres signing Tage Thompson to a seven-year extension set their first line up for the long haul and has provided stability. 

It is now common knowledge that the Buffalo Sabres locked in Tage Thompson as one of their franchise centers with a seven-year, $50 million contract and an AAV of $7.1 million. Thompson, who enjoyed a 68-point, 38-goal outing is one of three forwards projected to play the first line that is under contract until at least the 2025-26 season.

The other two are Jeff Skinner, whose contract signing remains infamous among the Sabres faithful despite a solid 63-point outing in 2021-22. Then there is Alex Tuch, whose contract the Sabres acquired in the Jack Eichel trade.

Buffalo Sabres trio of Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch, and Jeff Skinner will lead the franchise for quite some time

This time last season, the Sabres were an unstable bunch. Skinner was coming off of two abysmal seasons, Thompson was a mere afterthought, and Tuch toiled in Vegas. Oh, and Eichel was hurt, so he was out of the picture, too.

Fast-forward one year, and, barring some unforeseen incident, the Sabres have line stability for the first time since I was a sophomore in college – 2010-11. In case you are wondering, here are the facts and figures for each of the trio’s current contracts:

  1. Thompson: Seven years, $50 million, $7.1 million AAV
  2. Skinner: Five years remaining, $42 million remaining, $9 million AAV overall
  3. Tuch: Four years remaining, $19 million remaining, $4.75 million AAV overall

This shows us that once again, barring some unforeseen incident, the Sabres first line is set for another four seasons. There is an outside chance Victor Olofsson, who signed a bridge deal, could also see time on the first line. If Olofsson continues to improve, he could sign a new deal and add further stability to the Sabres scoring front.

Related Story. Sabres score a high grade on Thompson extension. light

Earlier in the offseason, I was a huge advocate for signing Thompson to another bridge, concerned of whether or not he could repeat his showing in 2021-22. But after checking the facts and figures, added with the chemistry he built with Skinner and Tuch, this seven-year extension was a risk worth taking.

Article Source: Buffalo Sabres make a big gamble with contract for forward Tage Thompson by Jim Lynch

(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference, Contract facts and figures provided by Cap Friendly)

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