Tage Thompson wasn’t just one of the best players on the Buffalo Sabres in 2022-23, but one of the best players in the National Hockey League.
We all know Buffalo Sabres center Tage Thompson enjoyed a monster year in 2022-23 with 94 points, 47 goals, and 47 assists. But Tage’s advanced statistics were also more than impressive, and he finished among the top of the NHL in several areas.
Below, you will find five statistics where Tage just dominated not only among the Blue and Gold, but he was also in the Top 30 in the entire NHL. Keep reading to see what his exact numbers were, and which other big names he finished ahead (and just behind) of in some of these advanced categories.
Buffalo Sabres center Tage Thompson had some epic statistics in 2022-23
1 – 12.8 goals above expected
At 12.8 goals above expected, Tage finished eighth in the league. Players like Brayden Point, Nathan MacKinnon, and Mitchell Marner are a few of many notable names that Tage beat out in the category. There was a 2.2 expected goal drop-off between Tage and the man he finished behind, Andrei Kuzmenko of the Vancouver Canucks, who had 15. It will be interesting to see if Tage can break the 15-goals above expected barrier this season.
2 – 1.41 expected goals per 60 minutes
Tage’s 1.41 expected goals per 60 minutes were good enough to take the top spot on the Buffalo Sabres and 17th in the league, where he was tied with Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils. Tage also finished the year within striking distance of players like Point (1.47), and Carter Verhaeghe (1.43) of the Florida Panthers. Notable names he finished ahead of include Patrice Bergeron and Sam Reinhart.
3 – 1.94 goals and assists per 60 minutes
Tage dominated in this area, finishing third in the NHL with 1.94 goals per 60, ahead of Point and other dominant players like Leon Draisaitl and Jason Robertson. He also had 1.94 assists per 60, which put him 30th in the league, and behind teammates Jeff Skinner and team leader, Casey Mittelstadt.
4 – 3.89 points per 60 minutes
At 3.89 points per 60, Tage took eighth place in the league, just one measly spot behind our friend Matthew Tkachuk and five ahead of Jeff Skinner, who clocked in with 3.58 per game. Both Tage and Skinner finished well above some of the league’s top players like Auston Matthews (3.4) and Sidney Crosby (3.38).
5 – 9.7 goals above shooting talent
This was yet another category we saw Tage take eighth place in league-wide, but ironically enough, he finished second on the Buffalo Sabres. Dylan Cozens took the #1 spot, with 10.7 goals. And as we mentioned in a previous piece, Alex Tuch finished 10th in the category, giving the Blue and Gold three players in the Top 10.
Overall, Tage more than made his mark this season with 94 points, but when you break down his numbers even further, he enjoyed an ultra productive year among his NHL peers. It may be tougher for Tage to repeat thanks to this young Sabres team growing even more experienced, so if his numbers improve even further, he will have attained undisputed elite status.
(Statistics provided by Money Puck and Hockey-Reference)