Most Buffalo Sabres fans possess a similar version of the same fear: Another season spirals out of control, the franchise's miserable playoff drought extends to 15 years and more cornerstone players decide to seek the next flight out of Western New York.
It's a nightmare the Sabres hope to avoid, but Matt Larkin of Daily Faceoff listed Buffalo center Tage Thompson among the players who could be involved in a blockbuster deal before March's 2026 NHL trade deadline, though he noted it's "too soon" to know whether he'll be available.
"He's clearly getting sick of losing," Larkin wrote. "He'd be the biggest game-changer on the market. But what if Buffalo stays in the hunt?"
Thompson has overcome a sluggish start to the campaign to record 21 points (12 goals and nine assists) through the Sabres' first 22 games. It hasn't translated into a ton of team success as Buffalo sits 15th in the Eastern Conference with 22 points (9-9-4 record).
The Blue and Gold have shown signs of life lately, winning four of their past five games, and that improved stretch of play will need to continue to quiet the worrisome trade chatter.
Tage Thompson shouldn't be traded by the Buffalo Sabres unless general manager Kevyn Adams is fired first
If Sabres team owner Terry Pegula decides to embark on another full-scale rebuilding process, his first order of business should be dismissing Adams from the GM chair. Adams' wholly unsuccessful six-year tenure is a clear indication he shouldn't be allowed to lead another roster restructure.
The next front office regime — Buffalo has been linked to former Toronto Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan — should be allowed to handle all decisions related to the club's current core players, led by Thompson and defenseman Rasmus Dahlin.
Dahlin, one of the NHL's best blueliners, shouldn't be moved under any circumstances. The Sabres should do everything in their power to ensure he retires in Buffalo.
Trading Tage, whose recent uptick in play came as his potential spot on the Team USA roster for the Olympics started to reach shaky ground, isn't ideal but it could be the cornerstone move to usher in a new era for the organization.
Thompson is a high-end offensive talent with a rare combination of size (6'6''), speed and hands who's under contract through the 2029-30 season.
Those type of elite players don't come available often, especially with team-friendly long-term contracts already in place, so the Sabres would be able to demand a king's ransom in a trade, and what would surely be league-wide interest may spark a bidding war.
Buffalo could receive four or five top-tier assets for Thompson, which is exactly the type of move necessary to immediate accelerate a new rebuild.
The Sabres will aim avoid that outcome, of course. They'll attempt to build off their recent run of improved play, which is being bolstered by a wave of key players returning from injury, and try to leave the Tage trade speculation in the rear-view mirror.
Buffalo sports fans have stood with the organization through thick and thin over the past 14 years, but another stretch where the team is focused on sending away All-Star talents in exchange for picks and prospects would cause more supporters to lose interest.
In addition, the seemingly endless losing is reaching a point where an entire generation of young hockey fans in the City of Good Neighbors have been given no reason to invest in diehard Sabres fandom. So, turning the tide soon is essential.
Whether or not Thompson is available for trade between now and the start of next season will say a lot about the future of the franchise.