In each of the past two seasons, Buffalo Sabres center Tage Thompson has scored 26 goals at even strength, but in 2023-24, that number will increase to 29.
Last season, Buffalo Sabres Tage Thompson was virtually unstoppable on the power play, and he doubled his number of goals on the man advantage from 10 to 20. But his number of even strength goals remained at a steady 26. Add one shorthanded goal last season, and you get 47 total.
This season, it’s not farfetched to believe Tage will exceed 100 points, as I noted in my floor and ceiling projections. Knowing this, it’s also logical to believe he can increase his number of even strength goals from 26 to 29 WHILE increasing his power play output.
My ceiling projection and previous bold prediction have Tage capping out at 106 points and 57 goals, so by doing the math, Tage is getting 29 even strength goals, 27 on the power play, and one shorthanded. So yeah, if he can stay healthy AND reach that projected ceiling, then he’s a Top 5 center in this league, plain and simple.
Tage Thompson’s goal split will easily pace the Buffalo Sabres
Tage has paced the Buffalo Sabres in goals over the past two seasons, and that trend will easily continue here in 2023-24, even if such a bold prediction doesn’t ring true. Once again, most of these goals will occur with linemates Jeff Skinner and Alex Tuch, and the trio will also gain recognition as one of the NHL’s best lines as a result – something we still don’t see much of even following a solid 2021-22 campaign and a borderline elite 2022-23.
This is the second bold prediction overall regarding Tage as the first touched on his overall point and goal totals. And it’s probably not the last time you will see Tage linked to a bold prediction prior to the Buffalo Sabres 2023-24 campaign. Hint: He wears #72, so there is a strong possibility I’ll correlate something to his number just mere days before the puck drops on October 12th.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)