Buffalo Sabres: When will Tage Thompson return to the lineup?
By Sion Fawkes
When we learned the Buffalo Sabres star center Tage Thompson went down with a wrist injury, we knew he would miss an extended period of time.
We knew Tage Thompson would miss some time thanks to his wrist injury, but we didn’t know how long he would be out. Last night, it sounded like it would be for at least a while, if not for a massive portion of the year. Thankfully, however, the Buffalo Sabres star forward doesn’t look like he will miss over two months. Here is what head coach Don Granato said regarding the injury:
"“Less than a couple of months is what’s expected. It’s more week-to-week. I don’t have a targeted date for him yet.”"
Source: Sabres’ Tage Thompson (wrist) out ‘less than a couple of months‘ by the Associated Press, via ESPN.com
We won’t put too much speculation into the wrist injury that Tage suffered after he returned to the ice following what was initially a lower-body injury he sustained in the first period. However, the good news is that we have a timetable to work with.
Buffalo Sabres could get Tage Thompson back in early 2024
Since there is no target date set, nobody except for the Blue and Gold’s training staff can pinpoint when Tage may be back in a Sabres uniform. But from Granato’s words, it looks like early 2024 is when we will likely see the 26-year-old return, but what’s not to say we don’t get a “targeted date,” as Granato put it, later this month or in December?
Right now, we’re in wait-and-see mode regarding Tage, and in the interim, we need someone to step up and fill the void he’s leaving. Casey Mittelstadt is in a contract season and he did a fine job when injuries slowed Tage late in 2022-23, so he’s a prime candidate.
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We also can’t rule out Dylan Cozens, who enjoyed a breakout season last year and may now be looking to take the next step. Preferably, it will be a team effort, and everyone in the lineup will have their first opportunity to overcome this latest dose of adversity come Friday when the Buffalo Sabres travel to Winnipeg.