Buffalo Sabres stars Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch combined for 139 points last season. The forward duo, which continues to receive league-wide preseason accolades, may need to exceed that impressive total to keep the team's offense clicking on all cylinders in 2025-26.
Paul Pidutti of Daily Faceoff released his ranking of the NHL's top 50 forwards on Wednesday, and both Sabres cornerstones made the list.
It's the third straight year Thompson has cracked the top 30 of Pidutti's evaluation, while Tuch made a return to the top 50 after falling just below that mark last summer.
Thompson's ranking: No. 23
The 6-foot-6 American sniper is a perfect representation of why athletes with size, athleticism and natural talent are so tough to give up on. He looked like a bust early in his tenure with the Sabres, who acquired him from the St. Louis Blues in a trade headlined by Ryan O'Reilly.
Buffalo kept giving him chances, however, and something finally clicked for Thompson ahead of the 2021-22 season. Check out these splits:
2018-21: 26 points in 104 games (0.25 PPG)
2021-25: 290 points in 303 games (0.96 PPG)
Tage has hit the 40-goal mark twice over the past three seasons, and there's a real shot he hits the 50-goal milestone at some point in the coming years. He led all NHL players with 37 goals at even strength in 2024-25.
Meanwhile, Thompson has also made steady strides defensively during his time in Buffalo. It's unlikely he'll ever become one of the league's best two-way forwards, but becoming more responsible in his own zone was always key to taking his game to the next level.
Now the question is whether the 27-year-old Team USA Olympic candidate will ever become a good enough all-around player to crack the top 10 on this annual list.
Tuch's ranking: No. 43
Speaking of terrific two-way players, nobody on the Sabres roster better embodies that role than Tuch, who's entering an important contract year in 2025-26.
The impending unrestricted free agent matched his career high with 36 goals last season. He also topped 30 assists for the fourth time in the past eight years.
Meanwhile, Tuch established a new NHL record for forwards with 113 blocked shots, breaking a mark previously held by the Montreal Canadiens' Mathieu Dandenault (111 in 2006-07).
Getting the Boston College product, who was born right down the thruway from Buffalo in Syracuse, re-signed sits atop general manager Kevyn Adams' to-do list between now and next summer.
Will Tage and Tuch be reunited on top line?
Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff must decide where Thompson is going to open the new campaign, at center or on the wing? He played well at right wing during the second half of last season, but the team's lineup fits together better with him in the middle.
Tage at center would mean Tuch can be elevated back to the first line, likely with either Zach Benson or Jiri Kulich at left wing. It'd also allow Josh Norris to lead the second line, which would take some pressure off his shoulders entering his first full season in Buffalo.
That said, whether Thompson and Tuch are on the same line or separated, the Sabres will be counting on them to produce at nearly a point-per-game rate to keep the offense afloat after trading JJ Peterka, who scored 68 points last season, to the Utah Mammoth over the summer.
Buffalo opens the regular season Oct. 9 when it hosts the New York Rangers.