3 – Tage Thompson
Tage Thompson struggled during his first three seasons with the Buffalo Sabres, scoring just 26 points until his breakout 2021-22 season. That year, he put up 38 goals and led the team with 68 points, before he enjoyed a 94-point and 47-goal outing this past season.
Like Tuch, Tage wasn’t healthy all season, so it makes you wonder if he would have reached the 100-point threshold if he were around for all 82 games. Nonetheless, if he reaches 90 points again, he may just move up in these rankings.
2 – Jeff Skinner
Some may not like seeing Jeff Skinner ranked at Number 2, but in the two full seasons since the ill-fated Ralph Krueger era, he has put up 145 points in 159 games. And even before his horrific points production in 2019-20 and 2020-21, we need to remember that Skinner put up 40 goals and 63 points in 2018-19, giving us further evidence that Krueger was the reason for the way he tanked for a pair of seasons in the early 2020s.
But with 82 points in 79 games last year, it’s clear that the 31-year-old is still well within the thick of his prime, and he should once again put up big numbers heading into his 14th season. If Skinner can maintain such production as he dives deeper into his 30s, then he will be a contender for the Number 1 spot at the end of the decade.