Is Tage Thompson a top 10 NHL player? Is he top 5?

[dudacek]

At the urging of @SDS

Tage has 46 games left

• He needs to score just 2 goals to tie Danny Briere's best Sabre season.
• To score 6 to tie Eichel's best
• 7 and Drury's
• 11 Andreychuk
• 13 Vanek
• 14 Perreault
• 22 Martin
• 26 Gare

He's scoring 5 goals every six games this year over a sample size of nearly half a season. Bear in mind, that sample size includes his worst cold streak in a year (1 goal in 7 games in October)

He's scoring 2 goals every three games over the past 82.

Never mind how he's scoring the goals: 4 highlight-reel points to win in overtime, one-upping Ovie in his own barn, no less?

Barring catastrophe he's having an all-time Sabre season.

It's a privilege to watch.

[bob_sauve28]

It’s like having Mario Lemieux on the team. 
 

[Sabres Fan in NS]

Why not add in Molginy's best ??

76 goals !! + 1 !!

Maybe not, but I would say that 50 will be easy and maybe 60 baring disaster.

He is something to watch and a joy.

Just shows that coaching matters.  Not just Tage, but for all of them.

[dudacek]

@nfreeman was wondering the last time a Sabre has ever been on a hot streak like this.

I'm wondering if it's ever happened?

Tage has 29 goals in has last 29 games.

You'd think Mogilny in '93 must have done something like this. Maybe Gare or Martin did in the '70s?

Remember a Sabre has scored 40 only 25 times in a full season. Only 4 guys have ever scored 45.

Edited January 4, 2023 by dudacek

[onthewarpath]

2 minutes ago, bob_sauve28 said:

It’s like having Mario Lemieux on the team. 
 

My seasons are about 20 rows up from the shoot twice goalies, directly behind the net.  On November 12th against the Bruins he scored a shorty in that game that had me yelling "Shades of Mario against the Minnesota North Stars!"  The Bruin fans were all over the arena that night and were scared every time Tage touched the puck.  

 

The only questions are if he can hit 60 and if he can steal the Hart from McDavid if the Sabres make the playoffs.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

I think Tage has the most accurate one timer in the NHL and one of the hardest.  If it's on target it's in the net.  No goalie will ever stop it unless he is unfortunate enough to be right where it's shot and it hits him.  Of course, he will be out of the game as a result, but it's the only way it won't be a goal.

[matter2003]

5 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Tage has 29 goals in has last 29 games.

You'd think Mogilny in '93 must have done something like this. Maybe Gare or Martin did in the '70s?

Remember a Sabre has scored 40 only 25 times in a full season. Only 4 guys have ever scored 45.

Mogilny scored 50 in 46 games played for the Sabres in 1992-93 but it isn't officially recognized by the NHL because the team had played 53 games at that point. He scored 76 goals in 77 games played that year, or 0.987 goals/game. Thompson isn't far off and the way he can score multiple goals in a game, he could reach that pace or even surpass it.

https://icehockey.fandom.com/wiki/50_goals_in_50_games#:~:text=Unofficial 50 in 50 scorers,-The following players&text=Alexander Mogilny (1992–93),76 goals for the year.

Edited January 4, 2023 by matter2003

[nfreeman]

Submitted for the board's consideration:

- TT is 2nd in the NHL in goals this season with 30 in 36 games.  McD is #1 with 33 goals in 39 games.

- TT is tied for 3rd in the NHL in points this season with 55 pts.  McD is #1 with 73.

- In TT's last 80 games, i.e. going back to 1/15/22, he is 2nd in the NHL in goals with 56 and 13th in the NHL in points with 100.  McD has 58 goals since 1/15/22, but only 56 in his last 80 games.

- My list of the 20 elite players in the league right now would include the following 20 guys, not including TT or goalies:

McD

Draisaitl

MacKinnon

Rantanen

Crosby

Robertson

M. Tkachuk

Pastrnak

Marchand

Mathews

Marner

Kucherov

Kiprizov

Panarin

Ovechkin

Morrissey

Fox

Makar

Dahlin

Josi

 

If the question is "who would you take if you were building your team for the next 7 years" -- I think TT is top 5 due to age and contract.

What if the question is "who would you take for a single playoff run" though?  It's tougher, but I think there is still a very good argument that TT is top 10.

Discuss.

[matter2003]

9 minutes ago, Sabres Fan in NS said:

I think Tage has the most accurate one timer in the NHL and one of the hardest.  If it's on target it's in the net.  No goalie will ever stop it unless he is unfortunate enough to be right where it's shot and it hits him.  Of course, he will be out of the game as a result, but it's the only way it won't be a goal.

If I was the other team on the PK I would simply leave one guy dedicated to face-guarding Tage at all times and not let him set up the one timer.

Edited January 4, 2023 by matter2003

[dudacek]

This isn't a direct answer, but over the first three months of this season, he has been the NHL's 2nd-best player after McDavid.

He is having a better season this year than Mathews did last year when he won the Hart.

[Pimlach]

12 minutes ago, onthewarpath said:

My seasons are about 20 rows up from the shoot twice goalies, directly behind the net.  On November 12th against the Bruins he scored a shorty in that game that had me yelling "Shades of Mario against the Minnesota North Stars!"  The Bruin fans were all over the arena that night and were scared every time Tage touched the puck.  

 

The only questions are if he can hit 60 and if he can steal the Hart from McDavid if the Sabres make the playoffs.

He has a great shot at the Rocket Richard Trophy for most goals.  Nothing subjective about that one.   He has an outside chance at the Ross for most points.  If he gets either one he would get a bunch of Hart votes too, especially if we make the playoffs.  

 

More intriguing is the Norris.  

Karlsson has 13 goals, 53 points in 39 games - the best offensively and the worst defensively.  

Morrisey has 7, 43 in 38

Dahlin has 10, 39 in 35

Fox has 7, 38 in 39

Makar has 9, 34 in 36

The Norris is decided by vote, although high point totals almost always matter.   Right now I take Dahlin over any of those 5.  He is the youngest by 2 years and he plays the most minutes.  He is absolutely vital to his team's success.   If we make the playoffs and he stays in the top group in scoring then he should get a lot of votes.    Tough competition and a lot of great talent here.    

[HumanSlinky39]

Right now, he's one of the top 2 or 3 goal scorers in the NHL. As of today, I'd say maybe only McJesus is more dangerous with the puck. Goaltenders are soiling their drawers when he has the puck. When he has time to set a shot, he buries it. Watching him last year, it was clear to me he wasn't a fluke. He wasn't getting lucky last year, you could see his skill with the puck. I expected a big year from him, but nothing like this. He's gone from promising to superstar and top-5 player this year.

[GASabresIUFAN]

34 minutes ago, dudacek said:

@nfreeman was wondering the last time a Sabre has ever been on a hot streak like this.

I'm wondering if it's ever happened?

Tage has 29 goals in has last 29 games.

You'd think Mogilny in '93 must have done something like this. Maybe Gare or Martin did in the '70s?

Remember a Sabre has scored 40 only 25 times in a full season. Only 4 guys have ever scored 45.

On the Fly last night had a graphic that this is the 4th fastest a Sabres has reached 30 goals.  Mogilny was 1st, Patty was second, and honestly I don’t remember who was 3rd, probably Gare.  

[JustOneParade]

That 'flick of the wrist' goal last night was incredible. A goalie will never be able to react quickly enough to something like that from that range.

[Pimlach]

Yes, easy top 10 based on your trade criteria.   This year will be top 5 if he keep on his pace.  

Look at it this way.  How many guys would you trade him for in the list?  

[GASabresIUFAN]

23 minutes ago, dudacek said:

This isn't a direct answer, but over the first three months of this season, he has been the NHL's 2nd-best player after McDavid.

He is having a better season this year than Mathews did last year when he won the Hart.

2nd best forward probably. I’d argue that Robertson, Dahlin, Morrissey and even Ullmark are having equally great seasons.

[French Collection]

16 minutes ago, dudacek said:

This isn't a direct answer, but over the first three months of this season, he has been the NHL's 2nd-best player after McDavid.

He is having a better season this year than Mathews did last year when he won the Hart.

Correct on the Matthews season. He won the Hart because of goals, McDavid didn’t explode to nearly 2 pt/g like he did the previous season and the current one. Also, some people wanted a change from McJesus winning it every year.

I think McDavid’s goal scoring this year is a result of last year’s votes. Too bad Tage is doing his thing in the same season.

[matter2003]

13 minutes ago, HumanSlinky39 said:

Right now, he's one of the top 2 or 3 goal scorers in the NHL. As of today, I'd say maybe only McJesus is more dangerous with the puck. Goaltenders are soiling their drawers when he has the puck. When he has time to set a shot, he buries it. Watching him last year, it was clear to me he wasn't a fluke. He wasn't getting lucky last year, you could see his skill with the puck. I expected a big year from him, but nothing like this. He's gone from promising to superstar and top-5 player this year.

In close, he has unbelievable stick control and ability to slow things down time-wise where the defender is attempting to make a frantic play and he simply pulls the puck away, waits for them and/or the goalie to go by him then buries the shot. Saw it in both the Boston and Washington game on goals, and almost saw it again where he beat like 3 dudes to the front of the net and was about to dipsy doodle and the defender made a saving poke check from behind.

It's like he sees small spaces where he can put the puck that nobody else can get to and his stick length makes it so he can pull the puck away from the players and they can't reach it, except he does it all so fast in real time that it doesn't even look real at times.

[That Aud Smell]

What he's doing is absolutely bonkers.

 

[French Collection]

Tage is having a fantastic season. Just think, he could be 2 or 3 seasons away from his peak. KA looks like a genius for signing him to the new contract. I can’t believe he is doing this for $1.4 M while already having the extension. Many guys “breakout” just before being extended and then plateau or fall off.

I am wondering how much Tuch is helping him? Some may feel that Tuch is riding TNT’s coattails but Tuch is doing some great things as well. He has 80 points in 86 games as a Sabre. These guys are the most dynamic pair since Lafontaine and Mogilny. I don’t think Tuch is on that level on his own but he is really good and brings some great intangibles to the team.

[\GoBillsInDallas/]

[pi2000]

Part of his delayed development was because of the shoulder injury he suffered in Nov 2019.

He started that season in Roch tallying 12 points in 16 games, gets called up in November and blows out his shoulder in the first game missing the remainder of the season.

The following season was shortened due to Covid. 

I believe if he stayed healthy in 2019, and there was no Covid season, we'd have seen this procuction earlier in his career.

[ddaryl]

1 hour ago, matter2003 said:

If I was the other team on the PK I would simply leave one guy dedicated to face-guarding Tage at all times and not let him set up the one timer.

That would be awesome because I'm confident the other 4 players on the ice will make the opposing team pay dearly. You shift coverage on a PK the rest of Sabres would have much more room they could take advantage of

[matter2003]

22 minutes ago, pi2000 said:

Part of his delayed development was because of the shoulder injury he suffered in Nov 2019.

He started that season in Roch tallying 12 points in 16 games, gets called up in November and blows out his shoulder in the first game missing the remainder of the season.

The following season was shortened due to Covid. 

I believe if he stayed healthy in 2019, and there was no Covid season, we'd have seen this procuction earlier in his career.

I think the move to center more than anything is what helped him. Granato is a freaking genius in some ways.

[Doohicksie]

Watching In the Crease from last night on ESPN+.  PK Subban said it:  Tage MVP.  He did say he was, but he said don't be surprised.