Buffalo Sabres: Tage Thompson proving critics wrong
By Sion Fawkes
The Buffalo Sabres had so much faith in Tage Thompson, they signed him to a seven-year extension. So far, he has more than rewarded them.
Tage Thompson may not have the most points in the NHL this season. In fact, he is tied for 12th with a few others. But he has transformed into one of the most productive players in the league, and you can only expect that production to rise as he steamrolls toward his prime years.
Over the first few games of the season, Tage instilled panic in many of us, given his ultra-slow start. Through the first seven games, he scored a measly three points, and looked more like the pre-2021-22 player that almost everyone in the NHL had written off as a draft bust.
The previous seven games have been a different story, and Tage has scored 15 points, which averages to 1.875 points per game. A remarkable feat to say the least, and if he keeps up this high-octane pace, he is set to score another 128 points over the next 68 contests, assuming he avoids injury, which equals 146 total points when you add in the first 14 games.
Tage Thompson is developing into a cornerstone for the Buffalo Sabres
Like October 13th to November 13th MVP Rasmus Dahlin, Tage is another franchise cornerstone that the Sabres will build around. He is also a prototype of an NHL forward, with long limbs that give him a remarkable reach, sound stick and puck-handling skills that have only gotten better, and, through 14 games, his FOW% has improved from 40.3% in 2021-22 to 44.4% in 2022-23.
Tage has also been sensational when playing the first line alongside Jeff Skinner and Alex Tuch, two other Sabres forwards you can expect the team to build around for at least the next four seasons.
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Overall, those who criticized Tage after general manager Kevyn Adams signed him to his long-term extension are lost for words. At least for the moment. And it’s becoming clear that Tage is on pace to shatter his previous personal best of 68 points. And just for the record, he is already over a quarter of the way there after just 14 games in 2022-23.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)
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