Tage Thompson- What the h*** happened?!?!

[Ross Rhea]

2 hours ago, JoeSchmoe said:

To the Jays fans here, how many recall the story of Chris Colabello?

Colabello hit .321 in 2015 until he got caught using PED's. After that, he had a few years in the minors before his career completely fizzled out.

I know this is going to bring out the regular chorus of boo birds, but any time I see an athlete fall off the cliff as Thompson has, my mind goes to PED's. Was he taking something last year (and the end of the season before) to give him an edge?

Likely, Thompson needs surgery and is playing in pain... Either that or he's mentally checked out and isn't putting in the work off the ice. Ever since Colabello though, I'll always wonder about PED's for guys who fall off a cliff like Thompson. (The exception is Alek Manoah, who seems to have fallen victim to the 🍩 rather than PED's).

Or could be as simple as bad coaching.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

3 minutes ago, Ross Rhea said:

Or could be as simple as bad coaching.

Different coaching - yes.

Bad coaching - no.  I don't think so.

Also, nagging injury.

[JohnC]

20 minutes ago, Sabres Fan in NS said:

Different coaching - yes.

Bad coaching - no.  I don't think so.

Also, nagging injury.

TT probably does have a nagging injury but so do a lot of players. In all sports, the opposition makes adjustments to players, especially to the best players. What TT wants to do is being taken away from him. That's why teams scout. What he has to do is make an adjustment to the adjustment. Compared to last year, when he had a breakout year, he has less time and space to work with. He needs to handle the puck less by passing it more quickly and stop trying to go through the defense when it is clogged. What he needs to do is be less cute with the puck (too much dangling) and get back to basics i.e. more quickly shoot and pass. He needs to simplify his game, as do a lot of his teammates. 

[GoPuckYourself]

5 minutes ago, JohnC said:

TT probably does have a nagging injury but so do a lot of players. In all sports, the opposition makes adjustments to players, especially to the best players. What TT wants to do is being taken away from him. That's why teams scout. What he has to do is make an adjustment to the adjustment. Compared to last year, when he had a breakout year, he has less time and space to work with. He needs to handle the puck less by passing it more quickly and stop trying to go through the defense when it is clogged. What he needs to do is be less cute with the puck (too much dangling) and get back to basics i.e. more quickly shoot and pass. He needs to simplify his game, as do a lot of his teammates. 

I agree with this, he acts like he can now go through the entire team himself. He also was very successful on the Power play with the blast off to the left but teams all know what he’s going to do. It doesn’t help that just about everyone has regressed all at once, Tuch looks lost and a liability on a lot of nights now. That is for a coach to get his game back but this guy thinks time will heal itself, in the meantime we’ll be bounced from the playoffs for the 14th straight time in a league where half the teams make it.

[LGR4GM]

Alright, now that's done. 

I think Thompson has regressed back to shooting slower. He's being too cutesy and not firing fast enough. It plagued him in his younger years. On top of that I don't think Tuch has been very good and that's hindered Tage because he needs strong wingers. A system adjustment would help. 

[Pimlach]

6 hours ago, JoeSchmoe said:

To the Jays fans here, how many recall the story of Chris Colabello?

Colabello hit .321 in 2015 until he got caught using PED's. After that, he had a few years in the minors before his career completely fizzled out.

I know this is going to bring out the regular chorus of boo birds, but any time I see an athlete fall off the cliff as Thompson has, my mind goes to PED's. Was he taking something last year (and the end of the season before) to give him an edge?

Likely, Thompson needs surgery and is playing in pain... Either that or he's mentally checked out and isn't putting in the work off the ice. Ever since Colabello though, I'll always wonder about PED's for guys who fall off a cliff like Thompson. (The exception is Alek Manoah, who seems to have fallen victim to the 🍩 rather than PED's).

Please stop making things up.   You clearly know nothing about his workouts and training habits.  If you did you might not be throwing out these kinds of ideas.  He has not fallen of the cliff either, he is having an injury riddled season on a team that is collectively having a bad season.   
 

Look at stats on similar top goal scorers and find one that has not had dips in production over the years.  If you find any, the chances are they were lucky with injuries and played on great teams that had plenty of good players to pick up the slack. 
 

 

Edited January 21 by Pimlach

[JoeSchmoe]

19 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

You suck dude and I'm blocking you for being garbage. 

Now that I'm blocked (and happy to be)... A public service message to everyone else here.

One of the key standards on this board is to debate the comment, not the poster. There's only one poster in here that I feel consistently bullies people around.. Often times under the guise of debating the post. When you say things like I've seen said to others that, this is "truly the dumbest thing I've ever seen", it goes way beyond debating the post. You've taken a piece out of the poster.

Again, AS I SAID, likely Tage's struggles are due to a surgery he's put off or just lack of motivation. Just after seeing one of my favourite players of the Jays '15 run go down like Colo did, my mind still goes there.

To the other posters that come on here, and consistently say things I don't agree with... Cheers! I'll try not to berate you, or treat you poorly. We all have our own lived experiences to get us to where we are today. Also, many of you are legitimately funny. I'm not sure if you're trolling or genuinely mean it, but keep doing what you're doing because you're entertaining nonetheless.

Go Sabres!

[LGR4GM]

See the mods deleted what I said. I stand by it. It's garbage to accuse Tage of using PED'S, a post you have left up. 1.5% below career average sh% doesn't indicate ped use. Absolutely disgusting commentary. 

Edited January 21 by LGR4GM

[LGR4GM]

1 hour ago, Pimlach said:

Please stop making things up.   You clearly know nothing about his workouts and training habits.  If you did you might not be throwing out these kinds of ideas.  He has not fallen of the cliff either, he is having an injury riddled season on a team that is collectively having a bad season.   
 

Look at stats on similar top goal scorers and find one that has not had dips in production over the years.  If you find any, the chances are they were lucky with injuries and played on great teams that had plenty of good players to pick up the slack. 
 

 

And there's my issue  with sabrespace lately. It's a lot of made up nonsense and conspiracy theories. Tage and PEDs, Greenway requesting a trade, Victor olofsson is better than Benson. We're not discussing reality anymore. But it doesn't matter, that's what the community here wants. 

PA was correct.

Edited January 21 by LGR4GM

[Pimlach]

19 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

And there's my issue  with sabrespace lately. It's a lot of made up nonsense and conspiracy theories. Tage and PEDs, Greenway requesting a trade, Victor olofsson is better than Benson. We're not discussing reality anymore. But it doesn't matter, that's what the community here wants. 

PA was correct.

Chalk it up to a beaten and down trodden fan base grasping for answers. 

When this team gets good, and I think they someday will, more fans will be back and the community will change again and again.  
 

My opinion, the SabreSpace regulars are hockey diehard fans as much as Sabres fans, that why we stick it out.  When they get good, more old fans and hopefully a bunch of new fans will be here, and different opinions will be everywhere.  

[sabremike]

54 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

See the mods deleted what I said. I stand by it. It's garbage to accuse Tage of using PED'S, a post you have left up. 1.5% below career average sh% doesn't indicate ped use. Absolutely disgusting commentary. 

I am not a mod but if I were I think I would be far more likely to remove the reckless, stupid and borderline defamatory one you replied to than yours. 

[Porous Five Hole]

2 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

And there's my issue  with sabrespace lately. It's a lot of made up nonsense and conspiracy theories. Tage and PEDs, Greenway requesting a trade, Victor olofsson is better than Benson. We're not discussing reality anymore. But it doesn't matter, that's what the community here wants. 

PA was correct.

Between this and the echo chamber of negativity  in every thread, it’s taking its toll on this place. On the one hand, the franchise deserves it with a record long drought.
But it doesn’t drive good conversation.  
And no one wants to be around negative nancy all day. 

[Demoted]

 

 

[JoeSchmoe]

The NHL is a league where players play through injuries. If Thompson is hurt he isn't the first, and he's surely not the last. That said, I don't recall seeing players drop off this drastically as shown below.

It was such a treat to watch him last year. So many highlight reel plays. 

Edited January 22 by JoeSchmoe

[Believer]

Tage is coming off an anomaly year… Almost impossible to repeat with Granato’s focus on defense this year…

Then there is the given reality of a 25 yr old adjusting to married life with two infants under age 2… 

He’s even beginning to play more physical… Just needs to work on his direct play… Still reluctant to pass with too much East West puck movement and dangle in the O-zone… Tries to do too much himself sometimes… Has a bit of Josh Allen Hero Ball in his game.

Agree with the poster who said Tuch’s inconsistent play affects his line mates as well.

Thompson is a stud… He will be fine.

[JohnC]

21 hours ago, JoeSchmoe said:

Now that I'm blocked (and happy to be)... A public service message to everyone else here.

One of the key standards on this board is to debate the comment, not the poster. There's only one poster in here that I feel consistently bullies people around.. Often times under the guise of debating the post. When you say things like I've seen said to others that, this is "truly the dumbest thing I've ever seen", it goes way beyond debating the post. You've taken a piece out of the poster.

Again, AS I SAID, likely Tage's struggles are due to a surgery he's put off or just lack of motivation. Just after seeing one of my favourite players of the Jays '15 run go down like Colo did, my mind still goes there.

To the other posters that come on here, and consistently say things I don't agree with... Cheers! I'll try not to berate you, or treat you poorly. We all have our own lived experiences to get us to where we are today. Also, many of you are legitimately funny. I'm not sure if you're trolling or genuinely mean it, but keep doing what you're doing because you're entertaining nonetheless.

Go Sabres!

Accusing a player or even suggesting a player is using PEDs when there is not a scintilla of evidence of it is crossing the ethical line, even on a bulletin board where there is a loose standard in presenting one's opinions. The participants here give good and bad takes. There is nothing unusual about that in this type of setting. But making a scurrilous comment questioning the integrity of a player by even suggesting that he is cheating is not acceptable, especially when there is nothing to indicate the behavior. I don't want to come off as a sanctimonious moralizer but in my opinion you crossed the line here. Just because you don't necessarily like the poster who called you out doesn't mean that the substance of what he said doesn't have merit. 

[Pimlach]

1 hour ago, Believer said:

Tage is coming off an anomaly year… Almost impossible to repeat with Granato’s focus on defense this year…

Then there is the given reality of a 25 yr old adjusting to married life with two infants under age 2… 

He’s even beginning to play more physical… Just needs to work on his direct play… Still reluctant to pass with too much East West puck movement and dangle in the O-zone… Tries to do too much himself sometimes… Has a bit of Josh Allen Hero Ball in his game.

Agree with the poster who said Tuch’s inconsistent play affects his line mates as well.

Thompson is a stud… He will be fine.

Good post.  
 

I think just as DG coached Tage to be a center, and dominate at times, there are more aspects of his game that need work.  There is more evolution to be had.  Some of it could be his mentality and I’m not sure DG can do more than he has with him.  Tage needs to play with more purpose, and dictate his game to his opponents.  He needs to get fierce.  
 

[mjd1001]

2 hours ago, Believer said:

Tage is coming off an anomaly year… Almost impossible to repeat with Granato’s focus on defense this year…

Then there is the given reality of a 25 yr old adjusting to married life with two infants under age 2… 

He’s even beginning to play more physical… Just needs to work on his direct play… Still reluctant to pass with too much East West puck movement and dangle in the O-zone… Tries to do too much himself sometimes… Has a bit of Josh Allen Hero Ball in his game.

Agree with the poster who said Tuch’s inconsistent play affects his line mates as well.

Thompson is a stud… He will be fine.

I'm hoping he will be fine.  But, what is 'fine'  Is it close to 50 goals like last year?  Close to 40 goals like the year before?  45 goals per year which would be averaging his last 2 years?  If last year was a career year do we totally throw it out and look at the previous year? If we do, he is still WAY off that pace.   And if that is what he is fine....but.....the team being where it is now is in large part because of his dropoff in scoring.  Compared to last year, this team is allowing LESS goals, it is the scoring that the issue is.  Tage and Cozens combined account for about 70% of what is missing from last year. 

So, what Thompson should we expect and what is 'fine' for him?  And as he goes, so does this team.

[BillsShredder83]

Came here for some bills relief, and shouldered another heavy bag of sabres stress.

I need one of those men in black thingys to reset my brain as a front runner fan lolllllll

[JoeSchmoe]

3 hours ago, JohnC said:

Accusing a player or even suggesting a player is using PEDs when there is not a scintilla of evidence of it is crossing the ethical line, even on a bulletin board where there is a loose standard in presenting one's opinions. The participants here give good and bad takes. There is nothing unusual about that in this type of setting. But making a scurrilous comment questioning the integrity of a player by even suggesting that he is cheating is not acceptable, especially when there is nothing to indicate the behavior. I don't want to come off as a sanctimonious moralizer but in my opinion you crossed the line here. Just because you don't necessarily like the poster who called you out doesn't mean that the substance of what he said doesn't have merit. 

I'm not saying he's on PED's. I did say it's likely he needs surgery and/or is not as motivated as he was last year.

I will say his falloff from 94 points to a projected 54 (albeit in 6 less games) is pretty unprecedented. Given the extreme fall off (way more than anyone I recall who subsequently went on IR or get surgery), my mind harkens back to Colabello... whether it's right or not. 

Also, if he does need surgery (the most likely case- given a full offseason didn't seem to help), we should probably put him on IR now so he's back ready for next year. Last year, he had you out of your seat almost everytime he touched the puck. This year, you could count on one hand the number of times he's had a holy 💩moment. 

If it's not an injury, I'd consider shopping him while he still has some of last year's shine on him. 

Edited January 22 by JoeSchmoe

[Sabres Fan in NS]

On 1/21/2024 at 9:26 AM, JoeSchmoe said:

To the Jays fans here, how many recall the story of Chris Colabello?

Colabello hit .321 in 2015 until he got caught using PED's. After that, he had a few years in the minors before his career completely fizzled out.

I know this is going to bring out the regular chorus of boo birds, but any time I see an athlete fall off the cliff as Thompson has, my mind goes to PED's. Was he taking something last year (and the end of the season before) to give him an edge?

Likely, Thompson needs surgery and is playing in pain... Either that or he's mentally checked out and isn't putting in the work off the ice. Ever since Colabello though, I'll always wonder about PED's for guys who fall off a cliff like Thompson. (The exception is Alek Manoah, who seems to have fallen victim to the 🍩 rather than PED's).

 

On 1/21/2024 at 3:57 PM, JoeSchmoe said:

Now that I'm blocked (and happy to be)... A public service message to everyone else here.

One of the key standards on this board is to debate the comment, not the poster. There's only one poster in here that I feel consistently bullies people around.. Often times under the guise of debating the post. When you say things like I've seen said to others that, this is "truly the dumbest thing I've ever seen", it goes way beyond debating the post. You've taken a piece out of the poster.

Again, AS I SAID, likely Tage's struggles are due to a surgery he's put off or just lack of motivation. Just after seeing one of my favourite players of the Jays '15 run go down like Colo did, my mind still goes there.

To the other posters that come on here, and consistently say things I don't agree with... Cheers! I'll try not to berate you, or treat you poorly. We all have our own lived experiences to get us to where we are today. Also, many of you are legitimately funny. I'm not sure if you're trolling or genuinely mean it, but keep doing what you're doing because you're entertaining nonetheless.

Go Sabres!

 

18 hours ago, JoeSchmoe said:

The NHL is a league where players play through injuries. If Thompson is hurt he isn't the first, and he's surely not the last. That said, I don't recall seeing players drop off this drastically as shown below.

It was such a treat to watch him last year. So many highlight reel plays. 

 

48 minutes ago, JoeSchmoe said:

I'm not saying he's on PED's. I did say it's likely he needs surgery and/or is not as motivated as he was last year.

I will say his falloff from 94 points to a projected 54 (albeit in 6 less games) is pretty unprecedented. Given the extreme fall off (way more than anyone I recall who subsequently went on IR or get surgery), my mind harkens back to Colabello... whether it's right or not. 

Also, if he does need surgery (the most likely case- given a full offseason didn't seem to help), we should probably put him on IR now so he's back ready for next year. Last year, he had you out of your seat almost everytime he touched the puck. This year, you could count on one hand the number of times he's had a holy 💩moment. 

If it's not an injury, I'd consider shopping him while he still has some of last year's shine on him. 

Those are your recent posts in this thread.

A terrible take.  Bottom line.

I know why the mods let it stand, but that does not make it not a terrible take.

Edited January 22 by Sabres Fan in NS

[JoeSchmoe]

2 hours ago, Sabres Fan in NS said:

 

 

 

Those are your recent posts in this thread.

A terrible take.  Bottom line.

I know why the mods let it stand, but that does not make it not a terrible take.

You're welcome to disagree.

The Colo thing was a shock to me so I'll always wonder this going forward. Just my own experience.

[ska-T Chitown]

<Disclaimer - I do not share even one tiny shred of the suspicion or hunch or whatever that Tage did what was mentioned above, I merely had a thought and since this is the internet, posted it>

I am not defending the putrid take that perhaps Tage was doing something that was not above board ... however, a more real-world example shows the logic is not as far-fetched as what is stated above (I refuse to even retype it): Say you work at a warehouse and Tom has recently started missing days and showing up late. It kinda reminds you of when Bill was doing the same and it turns out he was struggling with a substance abuse problem. This is a somewhat logical association.

However, to go around the warehouse and start saying you think Tom has a substance abuse problem without the slightest shred of evidence is a despicable, foul, and reprehensible to the utmost degree thing to do. There is an entire world of things other than what happened to that one guy who, on the surface, seemed to maybe be in a similar situation. Attacking someone's character and moral fiber - even on the internet - is not something that should be done flippantly and on a whim.

I don't just disagree with the premise, but disagree with the entire situation we have all been subjected to. 🤮 

[JoeSchmoe]

1 hour ago, ska-T Chitown said:

<Disclaimer - I do not share even one tiny shred of the suspicion or hunch or whatever that Tage did what was mentioned above, I merely had a thought and since this is the internet, posted it>

I am not defending the putrid take that perhaps Tage was doing something that was not above board ... however, a more real-world example shows the logic is not as far-fetched as what is stated above (I refuse to even retype it): Say you work at a warehouse and Tom has recently started missing days and showing up late. It kinda reminds you of when Bill was doing the same and it turns out he was struggling with a substance abuse problem. This is a somewhat logical association.

However, to go around the warehouse and start saying you think Tom has a substance abuse problem without the slightest shred of evidence is a despicable, foul, and reprehensible to the utmost degree thing to do. There is an entire world of things other than what happened to that one guy who, on the surface, seemed to maybe be in a similar situation. Attacking someone's character and moral fiber - even on the internet - is not something that should be done flippantly and on a whim.

I don't just disagree with the premise, but disagree with the entire situation we have all been subjected to. 🤮 

That's a pretty good example.

One thing to consider some employers will test their employees for drugs after an incident, even when there is no evidence to support that anything was below board.

[Hank]

9 hours ago, Believer said:

 

Then there is the given reality of a 25 yr old adjusting to married life with two infants under age 2… 

 

My uneducated opinion on Thompson's struggles this year is this is a very likely contributing factor. I had two kids by 25 and it was very challenging. The challenges can be compounded if his wife is also going through something that requires him to take on a larger role in the home. 

8 hours ago, JohnC said:

Accusing a player or even suggesting a player is using PEDs when there is not a scintilla of evidence of it is crossing the ethical line, even on a bulletin board where there is a loose standard in presenting one's opinions. The participants here give good and bad takes. There is nothing unusual about that in this type of setting. But making a scurrilous comment questioning the integrity of a player by even suggesting that he is cheating is not acceptable, especially when there is nothing to indicate the behavior. I don't want to come off as a sanctimonious moralizer but in my opinion you crossed the line here. Just because you don't necessarily like the poster who called you out doesn't mean that the substance of what he said doesn't have merit. 

Respectfully, because I hold you in high regard, I disagree. I did not read his post as an accusation. I read it as more like he was thinking out loud, wondered if it was a possibility, explained why he had the thought, and introduced it for discussion. Personally I think the idea is batshit crazy, and I'm sure you agree with that, but I have no issue with the way he presented it. As always, YMMV.