The Sabres have been the NHL’s sorriest franchise since their long playoff drought began and you may even go as far as to say no other team has seen darker ages. Yeah, that’s what you call a historically bad hockey team and you can thank a certain general manager for that continuing trend.
But it doesn’t mean the Sabres have been full of terrible players since the drought began. They just haven’t had enough good players. You can even say they’ve boasted elite talent throughout the past 14 seasons, and it’s evident since some of them went elsewhere to snag a Stanley Cup. I’m looking at you two, Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart!
Goodness, if only Kevyn Adams found a way to keep the band together alongside the high-octane players in Buffalo now. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen could be his usual, inconsistent self and the Blue and Gold would be up there with the Toronto Maple Leafs and no, that’s not hyperbole.
One player has constantly fueled the high-octane Buffalo Sabres
One reason the Sabres boast championship-caliber scoring (seriously) even if they’re the furthest thing from a championship-caliber organization is because of one man. If you guessed Tage Thompson, give yourself some points because you’re correct.
Yes, Tage has averaged 39.25 goals per season starting in his breakout campaign in 2021-22. And that’s counting the 43 he’s scored in 2024-25. Tage has a few more games to enhance that number, and he could be averaging 40 per year even when it’s all said and done.
Yeah, that’s enough to, through the 2034-35 season, assuming he’s still in Buffalo, shatter Gilbert Perreault’s all-time record of 512 goals. Do the math. Take an even average of 40, since he’ll reach that number, and multiply it by nine. That gives you 360 goals. Add the 175 he’s already scored, and you get 535.
Tage Thompson could break Gilbert Perreault’s record even sooner
If Tage doesn’t miss significant time with injuries, he’ll easily pass Perreault’s record, especially if he’s putting up between 45 and 50 goals per year. Yeah, that number dipped last season, but the Sabres gave Tage little help. And he still ended up with a respectable 11.8 shooting percentage, even if it’s lower than what he’d been attaining over the past four years.
That said, it seems like Tage has been the only Sabres forward who’s managed to score at will over the past four seasons. Rasmus Dahlin is a great playmaker, while Alex Tuch is about as solid as they come, but not elite in terms of finding the net seemingly game after game.
JJ Peterka is a great player, but he’s not firing the puck into the net 40-plus times per year. Instead, he’s more balanced in his approach. Zach Benson looks like a mid-tier scorer at best in the NHL, and Jiri Kulich is still a mystery, despite decent returns. That leaves opportunities galore for Tage, both now, and for the foreseeable future.
While some may want to see the best player in Sabres history hang on to the 512 mark, the reality is, there’s always going to be someone out there who’s better. This isn’t saying Tage is a better or more complete player than Perreault was, but as far as goal-scoring goes, he’s right up there with him.