Player Discussion Tage Thompson 2

[ForsbergMoDo21]

I don't even understand what drives the comments about this guy -- just because he was a piece in a bad deal for O'Reilly? He got jammed into the Sabres lineup because of that bad deal. Then he went to Rochester and had a major progression. All reports are that he dominated the AHL. He was doing that again this year, was bought up and got injured.

It's pretty clear kid is on the cusp of being a decent NHL player with maybe other factors like injuries (bad) or better workout regime (better) changing his high and low end.

The fact he was a piece of a bad trade shouldn't affect any decisions but it seems to impact impressions of him.

That’s definitely a huge part of it. He’s the only part of the trade remaining that has yet to be written off as total garbage, which foists unfair expectations on him to make the trade not look like one of the worst in franchise history. Those expectations also prompted the previous front office—the authors of said trade fiasco—to try and save face by trying to rush him.

I agree that in a vacuum, he’s on a promising trajectory—especially for the kind of player we’d hope for him to be. And at the very least, he seems to have a good, serious attitude about doing the work to become the best player he can be. Which is a reversal from what I remember reading about him when he was first acquired.

 

[Dex]

That’s definitely a huge part of it. He’s the only part of the trade remaining that has yet to be written off as total garbage.......

There's also Ryan Johnson - unless he's already been written off as garbage. It's hard to keep track.

 

[GOALOFSSON]

There's also Ryan Johnson - unless he's already been written off as garbage. It's hard to keep track.

Seems like it

 

[Kublakhan]

Rest of the league BEWARE: 19-20 will be THE YEAR OF TAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
View attachment 222385

TAGE IS COMING FOR YOU.

If he met you(and knew you from this board) I don't know if he would hug you or punch you in the face lol

 

[sabremike]

If he met you(and knew you from this board) I don't know if he would hug you or punch you in the face lol

 

[MarkusKetterer]

There's also Ryan Johnson - unless he's already been written off as garbage. It's hard to keep track.

I actually don’t hate Johnson that much. I do know that I woulda preferred the guy taken one pick before him by the Bruins. But if he makes the NHL then cool. I almost wanna trade him though because I know he’ll never live up to expectations here. Or there, I guess, seeing I don’t live in Buffalo

 

[DolanPlsGoSabres]

Tage is going to take that #1 RW spot away from Reinhart, right?

 

[jc17]

Giraffe at Buffalo Zoo dies following complications from medical procedure

Thoughts and prayers to Tage. Days like this are never easy

 

[Buffaloed]

Giraffe at Buffalo Zoo dies following complications from medical procedure

Thoughts and prayers to Tage. Days like this are never easy

That was Sampson. He couldn't even do a toe drag. Tage sent flowers.

 

[Der Jaeger]

That was Sampson. He couldn't even do a toe drag. Tage sent flowers.

Tage needs to avoid going to the dentist from now on.

 

[sabremike]

Giraffe at Buffalo Zoo dies following complications from medical procedure

Thoughts and prayers to Tage. Days like this are never easy

RIP Sampson.

 

[K8fool]

Im bored but my irresponsible posting and snark ended when i witnessed the horror and carnage of these pages.. I predict tage Thompson scores 40 and breaks the ribs of the new Tim Horton's spokesman. Ryan o' reily after a crushing hit in front if ten billionaire fans at St Louis..

 

[MarkusKetterer]

Tage has been keeping busy waiting for training camp to start

 

[sabremike]

Tage is participating in Philly's fight against COVID:

 

[Buffaloed]

He might lose some speed but he'll be hard to knock off the puck. He could dress as a goalie in a pinch.

 

[sabremike]

Did you know Tage is (in a roundabout way) related to George Washington, Father of our Country and the first president?

 

[Buffaloed]

Tage is getting sick of seeing NFL players get so much attention over their hair styles.

 

[jc17]

Its not like the giraffe jokes are taking the place of legitimate tage conversation. There's nothing happening

 

[KiwiGriff]

As I read this to my son last night I couldn’t help but think how it could be adapted for Tage.

“Giraffes Can’t Skate”

Tage was a tall giraffe
Whose neck was long and slim
But his knees were awfully crooked
And his legs were rather thin

He was very good at finding traffic
and attempting one on threes
but when he tried to turn around
He buckled at the knees

Now every year in Buffalo
They try to win some games
“We’re here to win the Stanley Cup”
Or so the owner claims

and this year when the season started
Poor Tage felt so sad
Because when it came to skating
He was really very bad

Tage swallowed bravely
as he ventured onto the ice
but the other players saw him coming
And they said things not so nice

“Hey look at clumsy Tage”
the players meanly sneered
“Giraffes can’t skate, you silly fool!
Oh Tage! You’re so weird!”

Tage simply froze up
He was rooted to the spot
“They’re right he thought. I’m useless.
Oh I feel like such a clot!”

So he snuck off from ice
And he started walking home.
He’s never felt so sad before -
So sad and so alone.

 

[brian_griffin]

^^^ Post above is candidate for post of the year @KiwiGriff , nice job.

I wasn't going to post this in the GBU from the Rangers game last night, but I had composed a dig at Tage for his skating I chose to leave out because I felt it might be nit-picking. For example, he takes wide loops in the neutral zone on the back check, but for someone 6'7" tall, his skates are sooo close together and his feet are choppy/churning too much (perhaps as opposed to shifting his weight/balance and pivoting his ankles more without lifting his skates/taking a new stride). It just seems unnatural at best, inefficient at worst. Can someone who has coached comment on whether I am "seeing things"? I've never played organized / been coached, but I can skate, and I can tell a poor from average from excellent skater. I want to believe I'm just being overly critical of Tage because if he fails to pan out, the worst trade in Sabres history becomes a top candidate for worst trade in NHL history.

 

[Old Navy Goat]

He definitely needs lots more work on his skating, shame Dawn Baird isn't part of the organization anymore. A 6' Tage would be looked at as an AHL/ECHL tweener

 

[KiwiGriff]

To be fair. I actually like some of what Tage does. He battles hard to keep possession of the puck and has put himself in great position to pick up passes and rebounds.

It just seems obvious (even to me as someone whose skating ability is average and hasn’t played hockey) that his skating isn’t up to scratch.

 

[Buffaloed]

I'd leave him on the 4th line and hope he works his way up. He doesn't seem to mind working the boards or getting his nose dirty in front of the net. Let him establish himself as a banger.

 

[TunaBoss44]

I'd leave him on the 4th line and hope he works his way up. He doesn't seem to mind working the boards or getting his nose dirty in front of the net. Let him establish himself as a banger.

Exactly where I'm at with Tage. I think he'd work as a trigger man on a heavy cycle line (a la Girgensons-Larsson-Thompson), but he doesn't quite have enough skill for the top 6

 

[itwasaforwardpass]

Exactly where I'm at with Tage. I think he'd work as a trigger man on a heavy cycle line (a la Girgensons-Larsson-Thompson), but he doesn't quite have enough skill for the top 6

He has plenty of skill. He just has no idea how to use it effectively.