After a strong season in Buffalo, Tage Thompson's impact on the Sabres is clearer than ever. Facing the chance of going 15 years between playoff appearances, the Sabres leaned on Thompson's team -leading stats to end the drought and return to the postseason. Heading into next season, Thompson will continue to be the key to building the Sabres success into something long-term.
Aside from one season with the St. Louis Blues, who drafted Thompson 26th overall in 2016, Thompson has spent most of his time in the NHL with the Buffalo Sabres after coming over in th Ryan O'Reilly trade. He's been one of the key pieces building towards the Sabres long-awaited return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Prior to his best season with the Sabres, Buffalo locked Thompson down on an extension for the long term, signing him to a seven-year, $50 million contract. His best season with the team was the 2022-23 season, when the Sabres were just a single point back of a Wild Card spot. His 94 points that season led all Sabres, and his 47 goals were team-leading as well. The long-term deal didn't kick in until after that stellar season, and he certainly seemed to be worth the money.
Tage Thompson has to keep up his production if the Sabres want to make the playoffs again
The following season, Thompson's production dropped to just 56 points in 71 games. He still led the team in goals that season, and overall team production was down. The Sabres missed the playoffs again that season, this time by 14 points. As a top player on the team, his production levels and the team's usually went together.
This past season, Thompson took another step in the right direction, playing at a point-per-game pace. His 81 points led the team in points, and he once again led the team in goals with 40. His return to form mirrored the Sabres return to form, making the playoffs for the first time in 14 years. During the Sabres 20-3-1 stretch last season, Thompson had 32 points, including 15 goals. Improved production on his part played a key role in the Sabres bounce-back stretch.
Now, as Thompson nears 500 games with the Sabres, they'll continue to rely on him in the hopes of a playoff reprise.
Aside from success on the scoreboard, Thompson logged the most ice time of any Sabres forward last season, playing big minutes on the top line. He'll be called upon even more next season, now that Alex Tuch is no longer on the team and is putting up about 60 points a season. Whether as a winger or a centerman, the Sabres will need Thompson to continue to put up big numbers if they want to see the playoffs in back-to-back years.
The 50-goal mark has eluded Thompson throughout his career, but hitting that in the 2026-27 season would be a great start. Should the team find someone who can support him to be an even stronger contributor, there may be an even higher ceiling for the Sabres next year. But if Thompson sees a drop in production again, things could get concerning in Buffalo.
Add us as a preferred source on Google