Player Discussion Tage Thompson 2

[Der Jaeger]

Great job from the Buffalo GM whoever that was!

Every now and then, the sun shines on a big head.

I do think Botterill made some bad choices, but he also likely had to work around the rotten core of Eichel, Kane, etc. That likely made things a lot more difficult.

 

[Montag DP]

I don’t know. The Blue GM said at the press conference the Sabres preferred Tage over others. I’ll never forget that.

Whether that's true or not, it's probably irrelevant, because the Blues weren't offering up the others anyway.

 

[Royal Thunder]

Between him VO and Quinn that is going to be a lot of goal scoring talent. 3 elite shooters

 

[Sabre Dance]

Whether that's true or not, it's probably irrelevant, because the Blues weren't offering up the others anyway.

That wasn’t the sentiment back then on this board. Many were furious we didn’t get one of Thomas or Kyrou. I wish I could find that press conference of Doug Armstrong. I’m not sure why he said the Sabres wanted Tage over others. I found it odd at the time.

 

[Montag DP]

That wasn’t the sentiment back then on this board. Many were furious we didn’t get one of Thomas or Kyrou. I wish I could find that press conference of Doug Armstrong. I’m not sure why he said the Sabres wanted Tage over others. I found it odd at the time.

That's not what I remember. I don't have any quotes on hand, but I remember the general thought being that Thomas and Kyrou were off the table, and Botterill's comment about wanting Tage was largely thought to be GM speak for "I couldn't get the guy I really wanted, but we like this guy too." Granted, there was plenty of fury at not getting a better return, whether that was possible or not given the circumstances.

 

[Matt Ress]

i want to see another year.

too many examples of career year outlier ( see William Karlsson)

one difference is he is playing on the top line.

i don’t recall what games he moved from Asplund/ Olofsson to skinner.

first 30 games he was 16 pts
since then hes above ppg rate.

I want to say that VOs injury broke that line up. Early December? I remember whining to keep Skinner away from TT lol.

Tage with the swedes were our best line if my memory and embarrassingly low expectations recall. We can probably chalk that up to another positive as he's worked well with several different line mates.

We can usually look back on player drop offs and see why they happened (change in usage, line mates, coaching...) I really only see things that would propel Thompson moving forward... constant coaching, linemates, better team around him, room for improved PP stats, full season of consistencies, confidence...

So yeah we all want to see more but if we're projecting (I am) I don't foresee factors that would result in a drop off. Quite the opposite really but I'm tempering that much.

 

[CowbellConray]

His 15% shooting percentage is a little high, I could see him settling around 12.5% and being a strong 30-30 Center. At his height and reach, you lock that player up and let him be a top 6 threat for 5 years

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

Not sure why folks think he'll drop off. He'll have a full year with the same linemates and a ton more confidence than with what he walked into this season...on a better team with better team defense. Sure, maybe he'll get more attention but at the expense of letting Skinner and Tuch do whatever they want?
I mean Skinner just does ugly dangles routinely to draw 3 defenders and opens everything up. All signs point to us just scratching the surface.

There are some posters who assume everyone will drop off unless they do it for 5 years straight.

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

I don’t know. The Blue GM said at the press conference the Sabres preferred Tage over others. I’ll never forget that.

Correct -- I think a lot of the Thomas/Kyrou stuff was pure HF lore, to help us sleep at night. "Well he was targeting better guys but Armstrong just wouldn't budge."

 

[Sabre Dance]

That's not what I remember. I don't have any quotes on hand, but I remember the general thought being that Thomas and Kyrou were off the table, and Botterill's comment about wanting Tage was largely thought to be GM speak for "I couldn't get the guy I really wanted, but we like this guy too." Granted, there was plenty of fury at not getting a better return, whether that was possible or not given the circumstances.

The comment didn’t come from Botterill it came from Armstrong. I always found that strange.

 

[Nikolajs Sillers]

Great job from the Buffalo GM whoever that was!

Botterill

 

[tsujimoto74]

The comment didn’t come from Botterill it came from Armstrong. I always found that strange.

Doing Botts a solid by making it seem like he got his guy? I don't doubt he felt like he owed the guy after making that trade.

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

Doing Botts a solid by making it seem like he got his guy? I don't doubt he felt like he owed the guy after making that trade.

Definitely possible. There's really no way of knowing since most of the pro scouts involved with that player assessment are probably gone.

 

[Sabre Dance]

Doing Botts a solid by making it seem like he got his guy? I don't doubt he felt like he owed the guy after making that trade.

Possible. It’s also possible the Sabres were looking for size on the wing and actually really wanted Tage Thompson.

It’s interesting how things are turning out with Tage excelling as a center.

 

[Sabresfansince1980]

To summarize the trade value now after TT's emergence, via the two ROR trades...

Grigorenko
Compher
Zadorov
2015 2nd

-for-

Berglund
Sobotka
Thompson
Ryan Johnson
2021 2nd (traded for Colin Miller)

That 2015 2nd could have and should have been Sebastian Aho for any team near that draft position, but aside from that Thompson may finally bring some level value, and peace and prosperity to the land beyond the ROR fiasco.

 

[Montag DP]

Possible. It’s also possible the Sabres were looking for size on the wing and actually really wanted Tage Thompson.

It’s interesting how things are turning out with Tage excelling as a center.

Yes, and whether Botterill was prescient or just lucky, it's a good thing he and Krueger are no longer around, because Tage definitely wouldn't have had a breakout season like this if they still were. Remember Botterill's development strategy for Tage and Mittelstadt? He put them in the lineup without earning it and then left them there for way too long when it obviously wasn't working out.

 

[Diaspora]

To summarize the trade value now after TT's emergence, via the two ROR trades...

Grigorenko
Compher
Zadorov
2015 2nd

-for-

Berglund
Sobotka
Thompson
Ryan Johnson
2021 2nd (traded for Colin Miller)

That 2015 2nd could have and should have been Sebastian Aho for any team near that draft position, but aside from that Thompson may finally bring some level value, and peace and prosperity to the land beyond the ROR fiasco.

Don't forget that we also gave up seven years. Seven long, frustrating years that we won't ever get back.

Not that I'm bitter . . .

 

[Sabresfansince1980]

Don't forget that we also gave up seven years. Seven long, frustrating years that we won't ever get back.

Not that I'm bitter . . .

I've gone on before about how TM should have hauled in Eichel, Boeser or Konecny at #21 (traded for Lehner), Roslovic with #25 (traded for Kane/Bogosian), and Aho at #31 (traded for ROR). I won't do that again, at least not here. I save that stuff for my therapist now.

 

[DolanPlsGoSabres]

To summarize the trade value now after TT's emergence, via the two ROR trades...

Grigorenko
Compher
Zadorov
2015 2nd

-for-

Berglund
Sobotka
Thompson
Ryan Johnson
2021 2nd (traded for Colin Miller)

That 2015 2nd could have and should have been Sebastian Aho for any team near that draft position, but aside from that Thompson may finally bring some level value, and peace and prosperity to the land beyond the ROR fiasco.

Not to be picky but you forgot the Jamie McGinn component...who was traded for a draft pick which was traded for the rights to Jimmy Vesey

 

[Sabresfansince1980]

Not to be picky but you forgot the Jamie McGinn component...who was traded for a draft pick which was traded for the rights to Jimmy Vesey

My therapist went through many sessions with me to erase that memory. Thanks for wasting all those appointment fees!!

 

[sabremike]

 

[Djp]

His 15% shooting percentage is a little high, I could see him settling around 12.5% and being a strong 30-30 Center. At his height and reach, you lock that player up and let him be a top 6 threat for 5 years

shooting % is meaningless unless you factor in where the shots are located And where he is scoring goals from.

 

[EichHart]

I think he is just tapping into his potential, and that is scary. With that shot he has consistent 40+ goal potential.

 

[EichHart]

This will never get old.

 

[CowbellConray]

shooting % is meaningless unless you factor in where the shots are located And where he is scoring goals from.

I dont disagree - he has been getting to the slot much more this season as opposed to previous ones. Shot charts show he is scoring between the dots, getting in tight and using his release to beat goalies.

Surprisingly, his PP spot by the left dot has not been that effective in him scoring goals. We've seen him flub plenty of setups for one timers.

Thompson's shooting% is high for the league average. To your point, he might simply be getting higher quality shots and scoring as a result. That's where I think teams will make it harder for him to reach his area next season - keeping him out of the center line between the dots. If he is forced to shoot from the outside/by the dots, he will drop in production.

I love Tage, I think he is a unicorn and should be a 30-30 guy from here on out. But he has a spot - and teams will hone in on it as they see more tape of Thompson in the offseason. It will be interesting if tage is able to improve on scoring from the dots. If he can, sky is the limit.