Thompson assigned to Rochester

[TrueBlueGED]

On 3/30/2019 at 1:06 AM, GASabresIUFAN said:

Tage is listed as a center.  Did we make a mistake letting him play wing all season?  Should we have tried him at center?

 

5 hours ago, Doohickie said:

I was going to stay away for the rest of the season but stupid me, I decided to lurk.  And THIS is made me post.

This is something I've referred to several times.  I think the kid is a natural center and putting him on wing is regressing him.  You see him carrying the puck into the zone and dishing off nicely now and then, he seems to know how to be a playmaker, but in his wing position they want him to be a trigger man.  I sure would love to see him get a shot at C and let him duke it out with Mitts between 2C and 3C.

Maybe that's why he's looked lost at the NHL level- he's just a natural center and the conversion to wing has been tough for him.

You know you're trying too hard when...

Seriously, Tage has shown nothing other than an ability to miss the net and fail at toe drags. A position change from his pre-NHL days doesn't make that happen.

[kas23]

This move may have been a blessing in disguise. In fact, anyone less than 22 should be sent down to Roch to shield them from the stink. There’s no possible benefit from young players being around this crew. 

[shrader]

6 hours ago, Weave said:

If you look in a mirror and say “Gerbe is a center” theee times does a bloody Shrader appear behind you?

???

[jad1]

On 3/28/2019 at 6:06 PM, msw2112 said:

Perhaps I am dating myself, but I would compare Tage more to former Sabre Adam Creighton.  A talented, tall-lanky first round draft pick forward.  Never really developed in Buffalo, but I think he landed in Chicago and had a decent career with the Blackhawks.

Max was smaller, more slender and extremely fast and quick.  He used to skate circles around the offensive zone and carry the puck for long periods of time, eluding defenders who couldn't catch him.  An electrifying skater and stickhandler.  He was a good player and had some productive years.  Unfortunately, he didn't have the ability to get to the net and finish, or he could have been a great one.  While I cannot think of a close comparison, perhaps Tyler Ennis, a little bit.  Perhaps someone can think of better comparison.  Tim Connolly?

Here you go:

Luke Adam: 90 Career NHL games, 15 goals, 11 assists, 26 points, -11

Tage Thompson: 106 Career NHL games, 10 goals, 11 assists, 21 points, -34

 

[Weave]

Oof

[dudacek]

I think we can agree that Tage Thompson is more physically gifted than Luke Adam ever was, and Luke’s problems (aside from Lindy-induced head trauma) werent talent, they were a combination of poor footspeed and entitlement.

Thompson’s problem is an inability to adjust his game to NHL speed.

[jad1]

8 minutes ago, dudacek said:

I think we can agree that Tage Thompson is more physically gifted than Luke Adam ever was, and Luke’s problems (aside from Lindy-induced head trauma) werent talent, they were a combination of poor footspeed and entitlement.

Thompson’s problem is an inability to adjust his game to NHL speed.

106 games to get used to NHL speed?  I think he has more problems than that.

And entitlement is the only reason Thompson spent almost the entire season on an NHL roster this year.

Botterill should find a GM who is similarly awed by Thompson's physical giftedness so he can package Tage in a deal for a player who can actually play NHL hockey. In other words, he needs to give Thompson the ol' 'Cliff Pu.'

[dudacek]

24 minutes ago, jad1 said:

106 games to get used to NHL speed?  I think he has more problems than that.

And entitlement is the only reason Thompson spent almost the entire season on an NHL roster this year.

Dahlin still isn’t used to NHL speed after 80 games. He’s just way better mentally and physically than Tage so he copes better.

And Tage may never get used to NHL speed. Some guys don’t.

What I see with Tage is the inability to see two steps ahead; guy is still contemplating the move he just made when he should be taking advantage of (or correcting) the results of that move. He seems surprised he got open, or that he stripped the puck, or that his toe drag worked.

Hes an NHL skater with an excellent shot, smooth hands and the range of an octopus. He’s also a baby who needs to add 20 pounds.

I don’t understand why he was in the NHL all year, and I don’t like dumb hockey players. But I haven’t decided yet if he is actually dumb or just needs to process faster. 

I wouldn’t give up on him yet.

Edited April 4, 2019 by dudacek

[Zamboni]

I’ll be patient with TT. He’s young and needs developing. If JB keeps him in the AHL for a bit next season, maybe he can round out his game and come in at some point and be more effective. His D game, skating and decision making with speed need improvement. He’s not a lost cause or a bust. Far from it.

[Doohicksie]

1 hour ago, jad1 said:

Here you go:

Luke Adam: 90 Career NHL games, 15 goals, 11 assists, 26 points, -11

Tage Thompson: 106 Career NHL games, 10 goals, 11 assists, 21 points, -34

 

 

59 minutes ago, Weave said:

Oof

I think Tage still has more upside than Adam.  Adam is Adam.  Tage can be much more than Tage, imo.

[dudacek]

Further to the “up to NHL speed” thing, isn’t there a generally accepted cutoff for that that hockey people tend to use?

I want to say it’s around 200 games.

[Doohicksie]

32 minutes ago, dudacek said:

He seems surprised he got open, or that he stripped the puck, or that his toe drag worked.

Spot on!  ?

[jad1]

48 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Dahlin still isn’t used to NHL speed after 80 games. He’s just way better mentally and physically than Tage so he copes better.

And Tage may never get used to NHL speed. Some guys don’t.

What I see with Tage is the inability to see two steps ahead; guy is still contemplating the move he just made when he should be taking advantage of (or correcting) the results of that move. He seems surprised he got open, or that he stripped the puck, or that his toe drag worked.

Hes an NHL skater with an excellent shot, smooth hands and the range of an octopus. He’s also a baby who needs to add 20 pounds.

I don’t understand why he was in the NHL all year, and I don’t like dumb hockey players. But I haven’t decided yet if he is actually dumb or just needs to process faster. 

I wouldn’t give up on him yet.

Dahlin might be still getting used to the speed of the game, but he's 18 and put up 41 points this season.

Tage is 3 years older and had 12 points this year.

Not to be too harsh, but that's the difference between a rising star and a bust.

And the extra weight won't help Thompson, because he's not a physical player.  He's not a Carrier or even a Girgensons.  The most disappointing thing about him is his lack of physical play.

[jad1]

37 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Further to the “up to NHL speed” thing, isn’t there a generally accepted cutoff for that that hockey people tend to use?

I want to say it’s around 200 games.

NHL games? 200 games is almost 3 full seasons, which is too long to judge if a player has the ability to adjust to the speed of the NHL game.  

And Tage is half-way there, with un-promising results.

[LGR4GM]

7 hours ago, jad1 said:

Dahlin might be still getting used to the speed of the game, but he's 18 and put up 41 points this season.

Tage is 3 years older and had 12 points this year.

Not to be too harsh, but that's the difference between a rising star and a bust.

And the extra weight won't help Thompson, because he's not a physical player.  He's not a Carrier or even a Girgensons.  The most disappointing thing about him is his lack of physical play.

Dahlin is at 42 points now ?

[tom webster]

Big guys like TT need time to grow into their bodies. See Adam Creighton. He may never be good enough to justify the return for ROR but he can definitely be a useful 6 to 8 spot forward.

One other thing, Luke Adam’s numbers  were skewed by his first 3 or 4 games.

[Ross Rhea]

I kind of hope JBots includes Tage in a trade this offseason for a C2. 21pts in 106 games, never really lit it up in junior/minors anything, going to be 22 in Oct. 

 

I'll take my chances and move on, IMO Tage isn't going to amount to anything.

[Pimlach]

I think Tage would benefit greatly from time in Rochester.  There is raw talent there. I felt he should have started the year in Rochester. If Bots could have brought in a better player than Ellie, and if Wilson was healthy, then Tage would have been down on the farm. 

[shrader]

32 minutes ago, Ross Rhea said:

I kind of hope JBots includes Tage in a trade this offseason for a C2. 21pts in 106 games, never really lit it up in junior/minors anything, going to be 22 in Oct. 

 

I'll take my chances and move on, IMO Tage isn't going to amount to anything.

He was a hair short of a point per game player for his two years in college (64 points in 70 games) and prior to this week, he had a grand total of 16 AHL games under his belt.  Those college numbers were very respectable and it's tough to take much of anything away from 16 AHL games played immediately after a full NCAA season.

[TrueBlueGED]

22 hours ago, dudacek said:

Dahlin still isn’t used to NHL speed after 80 games. He’s just way better mentally and physically than Tage so he copes better.

And Tage may never get used to NHL speed. Some guys don’t.

What I see with Tage is the inability to see two steps ahead; guy is still contemplating the move he just made when he should be taking advantage of (or correcting) the results of that move. He seems surprised he got open, or that he stripped the puck, or that his toe drag worked.

Hes an NHL skater with an excellent shot, smooth hands and the range of an octopus. He’s also a baby who needs to add 20 pounds.

I don’t understand why he was in the NHL all year, and I don’t like dumb hockey players. But I haven’t decided yet if he is actually dumb or just needs to process faster. 

I wouldn’t give up on him yet.

 

1 hour ago, tom webster said:

Big guys like TT need time to grow into their bodies. See Adam Creighton. He may never be good enough to justify the return for ROR but he can definitely be a useful 6 to 8 spot forward.

One other thing, Luke Adam’s numbers  were skewed by his first 3 or 4 games.

Or maybe, he's just bad. How often does a player go from looking completely useless to being good? Can you honestly point to a single thing Tage does well? Sure he has a hard shot, but if you think his shot is good, you must have loved Zhitnik's shot. 

[Doohicksie]

18 minutes ago, TrueBlueGED said:

 

Or maybe, he's just bad. How often does a player go from looking completely useless to being good? Can you honestly point to a single thing Tage does well? Sure he has a hard shot, but if you think his shot is good, you must have loved Zhitnik's shot. 

I still say he shouldn't be judged until he gets a chance to play his natural position (center).

[LGR4GM]

4 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

I still say he shouldn't be judged until he gets a chance to play his natural position (center).

You want Tage to play center? He can't play wing why would he suddenly be better at center? 

[TrueBlueGED]

19 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

I still say he shouldn't be judged until he gets a chance to play his natural position (center).

Well that's certainly not going to happen. Also, the number of players who can't play wing but can play center is incredibly small. There's way too much dancing around Occam's Razor with Thompson. 

Edited April 5, 2019 by TrueBlueGED

[LGR4GM]

1 minute ago, TrueBlueGED said:

Well that's certainly not going to happen. Also, the number of players who can't play wing but can play center is incredibly small. 

Probably as small as the number of players who play 100 nhl games and then magically figure it out and become good. 

[TrueBlueGED]

Just now, LGR4GM said:

Probably as small as the number of players who play 100 nhl games and then magically figure it out and become good. 

Right. I don't expect Thompson (or anyone else) to be a mature NHL player after 100 games. But after 100 games, he should have shown something to really grab onto and instill hope. He hasn't.