Confirmed Signing with Link: [BUF] F Tage Thompson signs extension with the Sabres (7 years, $7.14M AAV)

[Habs Halifax]

Decent vision/play-making? He might have the best in the NHL right now.

Wow. I said a lot of really good things about Thompson in the post you replied too and you nit pick this area and spin it to best in the NHL right now?

Thompson has the best vision/play making skills in the NHL? "Might"

 

[Asymmetric Solution]

Wow. I said a lot of really good things about Thompson in the post you replied too and you nit pick this area and spin it to best in the NHL right now?

Thompson has the best vision/play making skills in the NHL? "Might"

Might, right now. Might. Right now. When you’re on pace for 70 goals and 135 points, I’d say you do everything a bit better than decent. Long way to go. McDavid producing like this was generational. Tage is decent. Btw, not comparing but funny nonetheless.

 

[Ralonzo]

Playmaking is ok. Distant third behind the mortal terrors of 1) being hit by that shot, 2) being deked into the ECHL.

 

[tkb81]

I was very critical of this contract when it was announced.

Turns out there’s a reason Kevyn Adams is an NHL GM and I’m a middle class nobody sitting on my couch at home and posting on HFBoards with a retired quarterback’s name as my screen handle.

So say we all

 

[Atrusai]

Sabres are going to get insane returns on this contract. Hopefully they can beef up their bottom 6 and get a backup and finally get back to the playoffs. Been waiting since 99 for another highway series.

 

[Ace]

Sabres are going to get insane returns on this contract. Hopefully they can beef up their bottom 6 and get a backup and finally get back to the playoffs. Been waiting since 99 for another highway series.

Bridging Dahlin is already going to eat up the savings on the Thompson contract, unfortunately. For as lucky as they appear to have gotten on betting on the breakout not only being real…but that there was more in there…they equally screwed themselves giving Dahlin a bridge deal. Now…there wasn’t much they could do about it. Dahlin was never signing his long term deal coming out of the Krueger debacle. If they could have gotten him to do that they’d be sitting in a ridiculous position with both guys. But it happens.

 

[The Blunder Years]

Bridging Dahlin is already going to eat up the savings on the Thompson contract, unfortunately. For as lucky as they appear to have gotten on betting on the breakout not only being real…but that there was more in there…they equally screwed themselves giving Dahlin a bridge deal. Now…there wasn’t much they could do about it. Dahlin was never signing his long term deal coming out of the Krueger debacle. If they could have gotten him to do that they’d be sitting in a ridiculous position with both guys. But it happens.

If there’s anyway to look at It glass half full, they probably will sign Dahlin to 8 years taking him to age 32 rather than 29 (if they signed him 8 years after his ELC) which maximizes his prime. Every team can afford to pay a few players the kind of money he will be asking for so I’m happy as long as they can just lock him up for 8 years. I’d rather have Dahlin for over $10 mil than Nurse at $9 or Trouba at $8.

 

[Zach716]

Bridging Dahlin is already going to eat up the savings on the Thompson contract, unfortunately. For as lucky as they appear to have gotten on betting on the breakout not only being real…but that there was more in there…they equally screwed themselves giving Dahlin a bridge deal. Now…there wasn’t much they could do about it. Dahlin was never signing his long term deal coming out of the Krueger debacle. If they could have gotten him to do that they’d be sitting in a ridiculous position with both guys. But it happens.

Takes 2 to tango. Dahlin and his agent knew he got a raw deal with Krueger. He’ll earn every dime he ends up getting paid, and like someone else said, taking him a couple years past 30 could end up working out in the Sabres favor in the long run anyways.

 

[buffalowing88]

A lot of our fans on here saying they thought Tage would be a keeper are only looking at their posts from a year ago. 99.9 percent of Sabres fans (myself included) didn't want anything to do with him 18 months ago.

That guy is a shooting star and the odds of him turning into THIS is beyond slim. I'm happy to eat crow because I didn't even want him extended on that contract after last season, but no one knew this was even in the cards.

 

[Chainshot]

The one interesting thing in the background of looming contract negotiations with Dahlin and Cozens is how so many of them talk about playing together for a long time. It'll be interesting to see if that brings down their AAV a touch so that they can keep their entire crew together. I'm quietly hopeful it will.

 

[WhereAreTheCookies]

What makes it so fun is that there isn’t really a full answer to how this happened. All these things combine, right? Move to center. More minutes. More pp time. late bloomer. Hard work. Chemistry with Skinner and Tuch. It’s all of it…

But.

Adding up all of those things in their best case scenario still shouldn’t get the unbelievable leap we’ve seen from fringe middle six winger to elite #1 center.

it will never make complete sense because it doesn’t happen. The jump he made last year rarely happens. Taking another massive one is just nuts

I think there are some even more subtle things he's doing differently as well, and that he has improved on even from last season. One big one I see a lot is his ability to protect the puck and being more aware of where the opposing players are around him. I swear Don must have had him watching video of Lemieux and Jagr in their primes the way they would use body positioning and length to keep the puck out of reach of defenders.

 

[Chainshot]

I think there are some even more subtle things he's doing differently as well, and that he has improved on even from last season. One big one I see a lot is his ability to protect the puck and being more aware of where the opposing players are around him. I swear Don must have had him watching video of Lemieux and Jagr in their primes the way they would use body positioning and length to keep the puck out of reach of defenders.

His dad's interview with Marek and Friedman indicated Tage wants to put on about 8 more lbs of specific weight to improve some aspects of his game. I can't even imagine if he gets bigger and doesn't lose his quickness what he'll be able to do.

 

[threeVo]

Sabres are going to get insane returns on this contract. Hopefully they can beef up their bottom 6 and get a backup and finally get back to the playoffs. Been waiting since 99 for another highway series.

Its pretty much a free middle 6 winger that puts up 40-50 points depending on league scoring rates.

 

[WeDislikeEich]

 

[Nikolajs Sillers]

His dad's interview with Marek and Friedman indicated Tage wants to put on about 8 more lbs of specific weight to improve some aspects of his game. I can't even imagine if he gets bigger and doesn't lose his quickness what he'll be able to do.

Bull in the china shop?

 

[LetsGoBuffalo1126]

I'm an actual pendulum with Thompson. I formerly wrote for a Sabres site and in one of our articles, I said Thompson had 20-goal potential under the right circumstances. Point for me, yes?

Then, the following few seasons, he appeared to be just fledgling at the NHL level and I mentally checked-out on him. Point deducted!

Then, when he broke-out last year, I was optimistic as Granato seemed to find the magic combination of elements for Thompson to succeed. I was pleased, but...

When the contract was announced, I was a little nervous about it. I don't know if it was the "Buffalo" in me, but I thought about all of the feel-good things that have happened in Buffalo sports, only for them to completely bomb the can. I wasn't a fan of the risk.

All of my points are gone now, right?

 

[EastVillageBlues]

He has always been known for his shot.

Those of us who have followed him, also know that he has great hands as well, with some upper echelon moves.

It's probably why he has been surprising some people this couple of years. He just never put it together with hockey IQ and on-ice awareness, until this couple of seasons, that is.

 

[Chainshot]

Bull in the china shop?

Might be balance or explosiveness. I don't know what he still needs to do - he went away and his neck disappeared the last time he committed to putting on mass.

 

[Panthaz89]

A lot of our fans on here saying they thought Tage would be a keeper are only looking at their posts from a year ago. 99.9 percent of Sabres fans (myself included) didn't want anything to do with him 18 months ago.

That guy is a shooting star and the odds of him turning into THIS is beyond slim. I'm happy to eat crow because I didn't even want him extended on that contract after last season, but no one knew this was even in the cards.

That isn't true a lot of people looked at him as a guy with middle six upside but were wondering why he was playing so far up in the lineup often. Turns out he was doing all the stuff in practice but couldn't do it in an actual game but as time went on he got used to doing everything under pressure.

 

[Jerkbait]

If Buffalo makes the playoffs , Thompson will be a MVP candidate....
What a season the kid is having

 

[buffalowing88]

That isn't true a lot of people looked at him as a guy with middle six upside but were wondering why he was playing so far up in the lineup often. Turns out he was doing all the stuff in practice but couldn't do it in an actual game but as time went on he got used to doing everything under pressure.

No, that's fair. I think it was nuanced and you captured the sentiment far better than I did.

 

[TeamRenzo]

Could be the best contract in the league

 

[Panthaz89]

Hit the 40 goal mark before the 60 game mark

 

[Chainshot]

Hit the 40 goal mark before the 60 game mark

I was fully expecting to find the Cozens extension thread bumped but then remembered... Tage.

 

[josra33]

The early pages on this thread are a marvel of gem quotes.

Like my favorite was to wait until after this season to offer that contract. That would have been mighty foolish in hindsight