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

[nfreeman]

24 minutes ago, matter2003 said:

Hmm...you may not be wrong...stunning difference between numbers with Power on the ice versus him off the ice in terms of goals scored.

 

 -snip-

https://thechargingbuffalo.com/2022/12/30/owen-power-the-secret-ingredient/

 

That was an excellent article about Power IMHO.  I read it last week and since then have been watching the way Power moves to create space and passing lanes and generally "bend the ice" in the Sabres' favor.  He's terrific at doing so and the article does an great job describing it.

[carpandean]

4 hours ago, That Aud Smell said:

What he's doing is absolutely bonkers.

I feel like Tage is a character on Warehouse 13.  One of these days, Pete and Myka are going to show up looking for his artifact.

[Carmel Corn]

At what...$1.4 or $1.6 million this year?  There isn't a better value in hockey in terms of point production per dollar if that matters.

[Pimlach]

1 hour ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Robertson vs Thompson

Robertson - age 23 - YTD 39gm 26g 29a 55 pts - Career 167gm 84g 96a 180 pts

Thompson - age 25 - YTD 36gm 30a 25a 55 pts - Career 259gm 86g 72a 158 pts

As much as I love what Thompson has become, Robertson is as good a player and is 2 years younger.

I like Robertson.   He is big like Tage ("only"  6'3" and 200 lb) and also somewhat of a late bloomer in Juniors in that he stayed in Juniors for a full 4 years and then he had a full year in the AHL before becoming a regular player in the NHL.    He went to a decent team that made the playoffs in his second season.   The Stars took a smart and patient approach to developing him.  

Tage's path was much more disjointed.   He dressed for 41 games his first year in St Louis but he didn't play that much on a loaded team.  He went to Buffalo and played on a bad team; he looked like he needed time in the AHL but they kept him up for 65 games because the roster was thin.  The next season he got hurt in the first game and was out all year (played only 16 games in the AHL).  The next year he made the Sabres again and he endured Ralph, Covid, the start of the Eichel injury circus, and DG's interim term where he experimented with switching Tage to center.   

Tage's first 140 games took 4 seasons.  Looking back, it was an impossibly hard way for him to develop given that he played on two teams, was injured for a season, played under four NHL coaches (Yeo, Housley, RK, and DG as interim) and three GMs (Armstrong, Bots, Adams), and he switched positions moving to the more challenging center position - all in his first 4 years.   No wonder people in the organization talk about his will, effort, and work ethic.  

Until Adams and DG came in and really settled things down no player could be their best playing for the Sabres.   Including many former Sabres, Dahlin, and pretty much everyone else.  

Robertson looks like a great player and a star for a long time coming.  So does Tage. 

They could not have had more different paths, so it is hard to evaluate their numbers unless you look at the last 2 years.   

[Scottysabres]

Top 5 for sure. He doesn't need the defensive play numbers when he's putting up offensive numbers like this. Throw in the "clutch" factor, and ya, Tage Thompson is a top 6 player in the league currently.

[shrader]

4 hours ago, That Aud Smell said:

What he's doing is absolutely bonkers.

 

Good lord, it looks completely realistic that he tops his career year last year in just 50 games. 

[SabresVet]

3 hours ago, matter2003 said:

Not even Eichel?? 😂

He's made me forget that guy.  Completely.  

 

TT has 68 goals in his last 114 games, or 49 goals per season over that duration.

He's a top 10 forward right now and I have no qualms saying that as he continues producing even with a opposing defenses acutely aware of him now.  

 

Edited January 4, 2023 by SabresVet

[triumph_communes]

Power has let dudes sneak behind him for half our goals against the last few games. He has a ways to go. 

[Drag0nDan]

5 hours 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.

Playing with fire though giving up that much space to Dahlin.  You'd have to have your other 3 players trying to prevent cozens and skinner from cross crease dunks to tuch on the same side, and one wrong move sets up dahlin for a 1 timer in the slot.  

[Buffalonill]

Hes better then Draisaitl and MacKinnon thats for sure 

[kas23]

I got to see my first Sabres game last night in over 15 years, the amount of time I’ve been away from Buffalo. I haven’t really seen the need to see them in enemy territory before. I took my son and daughter, who saw their first hockey game. It was a priceless treat and Tage put on a scoring clinic. I’ve seen that shot on highlight reels, but never in real life. It’s something to behold. My son left asking if we could see a Sabres game in Buffalo so he “could cheer along with the goals.”  After much beer, despite being in DC, it certainly didn’t stop me, but there was a lot of blue and gold around us. 
 

What’s the point of all this? Tage is special and this team has something going. There’s been getting butts in seats. Let me tell you, Buffalo has special teams for the first time in eternity. If you’ve been hesitant to taking in some games, now is the time to go. There’s no reason the arena shouldn’t be sold out nightly. 

[bunomatic]

Asking the magic 8 ball...

Yes, yes he will !

[inkman]

9 hours ago, nfreeman said:

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.

All those guys suck, massive turnover machines. 🤯

[Refuting]

6 hours ago, Pimlach said:

Like Marner.  He is overrated in my view.  

That whole team is kinda overrated until they do something in the playoffs 

[Porous Five Hole]

We’ve gone from, “Is Tage even an NHL’er to is Tage a league MVP?” in 1.5 seasons. The meteoric rise is incomprehensible.  The answer to the Q, yes he is top ten in the league, and yes he is top five in the league. Especially if you consider the future of the player…he’s top five today and shows all signs of being the “guy” going forward. And he’s signed for below market value for seven years beginning next year. Sweet!

[Freeezo]

Can anyone look at the video on tsn hockey front page. "Did Buffalo almost trade tNt before he took off"

[French Collection]

6 hours ago, Freeezo said:

Can anyone look at the video on tsn hockey front page. "Did Buffalo almost trade tNt before he took off"

Toronto media trying to stir up Buffalo fans. 

[French Collection]

They can’t recall who said it but they heard that Buffalo was looking to deal TNT for a 5th or a 3rd rounder a few years ago. It was a rumour they have no facts about.

They go on to talk about how TNT is coming into Matthews’ class as a goal scorer. 

[Cascade Youth]

Staying healthy is the key.  

[inkman]

The only thing I can remember being comparable was Mogilny in the 76 goal season.  It was a wild ride that felt surreal.  

[OrangeSeatVertigo]

21 hours ago, Sabres Fan in NS said:

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.

moving him to center was the coaching move of the decade

[bob_sauve28]

Yes it will continue, and he will get even better 

[matter2003]

2 hours ago, French Collection said:

Toronto media trying to stir up Buffalo fans. 

Toronto Media doing their best:

[matter2003]

Really good article from Pierre LeBrun:

https://theathletic.com/4058153/2023/01/05/tage-thompson-sabres-trade/

Edited January 5, 2023 by matter2003

[IKnowPhysics]

19 hours ago, Freeezo said:

Can anyone look at the video on tsn hockey front page. "Did Buffalo almost trade tNt before he took off"

Quote

Betteridge's law (of headlines) is an adage that states "Any headline that ends in a question mark can be answered by the word no." The sweeping generalization refers to the poor journalistic practice of writing sensational headlines in the form of a question in order to compensate for the author's lack of facts.

https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/Betteridges-law-of-headlines#:~:text=Betteridge's law (of headlines) is,the author's lack of facts.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betteridge's_law_of_headlines