Sabres center is on pace for a near-record-breaking campaign so far in 2024-25

The Buffalo Sabres have a defenseman in Owen Power who seems to be on pace for a breakout season, and it’s a storyline that will be fun to follow. Another awesome tidbit is the current uptick in performance from winger Alex Tuch, who could solidify a spot as one of the NHL’s premier points producers. 

But let’s not forget about Tage Thompson, whose consistency has been arguably the best of all the Sabres skaters so far in 2024-25. Last season’s downer is quickly proving to be an outlier as Tage seems to be scoring a goal in every other game, or to be more accurate, in nearly three of every four contests. 

Through 16 games, he’s got 11 goals and a 21.6 shooting percentage, meaning he’s right up there with the best of them when it comes to finding twine. But let’s do some quick math and divide 11 by 16, which gives us between 56 and 57 goals when we adjust the stat to 82 outings.

This number would put Tage, should he continue on the same pace, second all-time in single-season scoring in Sabres history, either tied or slightly ahead of Danny Gare’s 56 goals in 1979-80 and behind only Alexander Mogilny, who scored 76 in 1992-93. 

Tage Thompson is on a near-record-setting quest for the Sabres

Before Thursday night’s slate of games, Tage is also leading the NHL with 10 goals scored at even strength, and his efforts have constantly given opposing goaltenders migraines in trying to figure out how to stop him. 

Most importantly, Tage is showing Sabres fans everywhere that 2021-22 and 2022-23 were not outliers following his pedestrian performance last year. It should also bring music to the ears of many Sabres fans, who have seen players signed to long-term deals either experience drop-offs in their respective performances or get hit so hard with the injury bug that moving them elsewhere should be an option.

While it’s tough to see Tage threatening Mogilny’s single-season record as scoring 76 goals in a single season is a rare feat, landing at the No. 2 spot on the list, either solo or alongside Gare, is still an accomplishment to be recognized. It would also shatter Tage’s former personal best of 47 goals, which he scored in 2022-23, by a substantial margin. 

What’s even scarier is that he’s one of just a handful of players who have hit midseason form, so if he stays healthy, what will his ceiling ultimately look like?