Player Discussion Tage Thompson 1

[tsujimoto74]

IT HAPPENED

And only 5 months too late!!

 

[Chainshot]

And only 5 months too late!!

Maybe even six

 

[joshjull]

LONG overdue

 

[MayDayMayDay]

IT HAPPENED

So rather than do this months ago when it would have behooved his development, they do it with two weeks left in the season.

What. The. Actual. Existential. And Biblical. f***.

I feel trolled guys.

 

[Member 308457]

I would've like to see Tage score against the Red Wings like last game. What a blast and what a move in the shootout. But yeah this year the good plays have been too few and to far between for coltish Tage.

 

[GellMann]

I'm more frustrated that this happened now than I'd be if it hadn't happened at all.

This was needed in November when roster management and bolstering was needed to keep a season alive, and BEFORE we spent 4 months murdering Tage's confidence when he had clearly shown right away he was a bad NHL player right now.

 

[joshjull]

So rather than do this months ago when it would have behooved his development, they do it with two weeks left in the season.

What. The. Actual. Existential. And Biblical. ****.

I feel trolled guys.

I agree he should have been sent down months ago. But at least they sent him down with enough time to get acclimated to the Amerks. Now Taylor has a few games to figure out what he has in Tage and how to use him.

I’m not really giving the Sabres credit for this. I was just worried the were going to wait until the day before the Amerks playoffs started. Which would be giving Taylor an unneeded headache right as the playoffs started. So at least they got this right even though they f***ed up for the last several months keeping him here.

 

[26CornerBlitz]

 

[joshjull]

Need to punch ginger face growing

 

[OkimLom]

Here is an exclusive picture of Tage being brought into Blue Cross Arena:

View attachment 205789

Liar!

That's a photo of when Tage was getting weighed in training camp.

 

[sabremike]

Liar!

That's a photo of when Tage was getting weighed in training camp.

Guilty as charged!

 

[Montag DP]

But yeah this year the good plays have been too few and to far between for coltish Tage.

Actually, a baby giraffe is called a calf.

 

[old kummelweck]

Wow. How this can't be a huge ego blow for him. Hopefully he can help Roch in the playoffs.

 

[CrazyPsycho]

 

[Taro Tsujimoto]

IT HAPPENED

About 5 months too late.

 

[joshjull]

Wow. How this can't be a huge ego blow for him. Hopefully he can help Roch in the playoffs.

It shouldn’t be. He knew it was going to happen at some point at the end of he year since they made the paper transaction at the deadline.

 

[GellMann]

I bet he'd feel a lot better about his own development and skills if he'd have spent a couple months in Roch, working his ass off to get better and get back, and was rewarded with April NHL games, to build off of as a springboard, than he does after sinking with no lifeline for months and months, ending with demotion.

Even if he "shouldn't," he's a human, and this objectively sucks for any hockey player.

I'm not saying this will damage him or anything, or that it'd be anyone else's fault but his own if it did, but this kind of thing has a track record of damaging prospects.

 

[debaser66]

Probably would have been better if it was the other way around and this be his first call up of the year which he actually earned.
This looks just depressing.
A botched year of development.

 

[sabrebuild]

Happy he is there now to at least get used to the team somewhat before the playoffs.

Great job Botts and Phil!!!!

 

[sincerity0]

He was going to go down eventually due to the paper transaction... but man I feel cheated by “the plan”. Botterill implied that most prospects were going to spend time in Rochester. Tage was told he’d have an opportunity to make the team and play in the top 6. All that is fair. Every player at camp should have a legitimate opportunity to make the team.

My gripe is we watched literally one of the worst forwards in the entire league get his ass caved in for about 55-60 games before being sent down. When I think of “legitimate opportunity” I see a player getting maybe 10-15 games. Tage got roles on the first line, all the way down the line up, PP time, press box and IMO never really improved.

Thompson’s skill is so evident but he has major holes in his game. Apart from that, what did Thompson do to keep his spot? That’s my biggest thing and I’m finding is so hard to get over. He got more of an opportunity than other prospects who were in Rochester performing at a great level who deserved a legitimate chance to see if they could stick earlier in the season.

Tage is not the reason Buffalo sucks this year but he is one piece on a roster that has not been optimized all season. It’s infuriating.

 

[joshjull]

I’m hoping Taylor and his staff can get Tage’s game in the right place. They’ve done well with other players and will probably be a breath of fresh air for Tage.

 

[Snippit]

I have a feeling Tage will do well in the AHL. The shit that he can't get away with in the NHL, he probably can in the minors

 

[Tatre]

For as much of his play we've had to deal with, I'd rather Thompson do well in the AHL. If there's a slight chance that we don't see him back up next year, a good player in the minors feels like a better return than an anchor on the Sabres.

 

[CrazyPsycho]

Who would have thought putting a giraffe in front of the net could be a good idea?

 

[Reddawg]

Who would have thought putting a giraffe in front of the net could be a good idea?

Took Taylor about six seconds to utilize Thompson properly.