Player Discussion Tage Thompson 2

[UnleashRasmus]

Wanted to punch Harrington listening to this.

Right on, Harrington and Hamilton have merged into the Blob. Seriously, ugh.

 

[Chainshot]

To say he wasn't used correctly, would have been an understatement.

He has so much skill and potential. I don't know why he didn't have over 100 shots from the spot he scored versus Detroit that year. There should have been a launching pad from that spot on the PP with him.

The second unit wasn't very good and didn't get much ToI. The first unit has a $10M AAV guy to take shots from that spot.

 

[sabremike]

Wanted to punch Harrington listening to this.

More like kick him right where it hurts wearing a steel toe boot.

 

[sabremike]

Right on, Harrington and Hamilton have merged into the Blob. Seriously, ugh.

Please don't insult The Blob by comparing him to those guys. He is actually a friend of mine and has lost a ton of weight since his Hollywood days with a vegan diet (ie: he only smothers vegans).

 

[BloFan4Life]

The second unit wasn't very good and didn't get much ToI. The first unit has a $10M AAV guy to take shots from that spot.

Who only put up 8 PP goals last season. Someone like Ovechkin puts up close to 20 goals consistently on the PP. I thought that was a change that should have happened last year. That position on the PP needed to produce more.

 

[Sabre Dance]

I have a question, didn't Tage earn a spot on last year's roster through camp and preseason? I seem to remember him being one of our better players. What if that happens again?

 

[Vito_81]

I have a question, didn't Tage earn a spot on last year's roster through camp and preseason? I seem to remember him being one of our better players. What if that happens again?

I remember Nylander was better, but Tage “earned” the spot.

 

[Chainshot]

I remember Nylander was better, but Tage “earned” the spot.

That was my recollection as well - Nylander looked better, Tage got the spot and then struggled almost immediately out of the gate.

It does give one pause to think what would have happened if he had gone down and done what he did to end the season -- ripping in a bunch of goals and generally playing well in all situations -- and then came up to whatever sort of recall in the second half or even final 60 games of the season. Or if he'd been down most of the year, tearing it up and then had a late-season recall. The difference in thought process on where he is as a player as a developing future talent vs. one who had a season squandered would probably take some of the sting out of the constant troubles with the team's perception. Not all of it mind you, but the difference between entitled scrub and up-and-coming prospect is pretty significant in terms of perceptions.

 

[Sabre Dance]

I remember Nylander was better, but Tage “earned” the spot.

I remember both were good. I've been on the Nylander needs his shot train for a while.

Tage had a good camp last year. He did earn a spot. He just didn't deserve to keep it after October.

 

[Fezzy126]

I remember both were good. I've been on the Nylander needs his shot train for a while.

Tage had a good camp last year. He did earn a spot. He just didn't deserve to keep it after October.

Nylander was consistently better, but Tage had a couple of wow plays, ironically involving toe drags

I don't think people gave it much thought because Nylander, I wouldn't say struggled, but he didn't tear it up while down in Rochester. I wonder if it would have played out differently had Nylander gone down and immediately performed at a high level.

 

[beerme1]

I remember Nylander was better, but Tage “earned” the spot.

Didn't Nylander get hurt as usual late in camp?

 

[Tatanka]

Didn't Nylander get hurt as usual late in camp?

No. He got injured before Christmas in Rochester.

 

[Dreakon13]

Thompson and Nylander were neck and neck in camp and preseason. They were both the last cuts and I'm guessing Nylander lost out because he was one offseason disconnected from being benched in the AHL playoffs and wasn't being given the benefit of the doubt.

Believe me, the braintrust around here would've been furious too if Thompson didn't make it and Nylander did. And I have little doubt Nylander would've struggled too. Anyone putting one over the other as far as public consensus goes is just rewriting history with hindsight, knowing Thompson wasn't ready and Nylander still having that allure of being a question mark.

 

[Chainshot]

Very much enjoying Thompson's candor in the day 1 press scrum. He has consistently said the right things. I'm hoping he can build on the confidence Taylor showed in him at the end of the season along with a solid summer of strength training can translate into some success to start this season.

 

[Reddawg]

Thompson and Nylander were neck and neck in camp and preseason. They were both the last cuts and I'm guessing Nylander lost out because he was one offseason disconnected from being benched in the AHL playoffs and wasn't being given the benefit of the doubt.

Believe me, the braintrust around here would've been furious too if Thompson didn't make it and Nylander did. And I have little doubt Nylander would've struggled too. Anyone putting one over the other as far as public consensus goes is just rewriting history with hindsight, knowing Thompson wasn't ready and Nylander still having that allure of being a question mark.

1000%

 

[Chainshot]

If Thompson had gone down to the AHL and been as productive as he was in his late season work? People would likely have been far more forgiving of the front office if that were the case. It's not like Nylander is particularly beloved by anyone.

 

[Dreakon13]

If Thompson had gone down to the AHL and been as productive as he was in his late season work? People would likely have been far more forgiving of the front office if that were the case. It's not like Nylander is particularly beloved by anyone.

People would've been furious with Thompson being cut for the same reason they were furious when Nylander was cut... something something play your best players something something better than Sobotka something something.

I'd like to think we could be so cool and collected around here that we'd appreciate letting a kid succeed in the AHL if, despite success in camp and preseason, he's cut because they feel he's not ready or his development is better served elsewhere... but like the faith in Botts to objectively improve our roster and cap situations, my faith in the posters here to stay rational in the face of even the most inconsequential odds is shaken to say the least.

 

[Chainshot]

People would've been furious with Thompson being cut for the same reason they were furious when Nylander was cut... something something play your best players something something better than Sobotka something something.

I'd like to think we could be so cool and collected around here that we'd appreciate letting a kid succeed in the AHL if, despite success in camp and preseason, he's cut because they feel he's not ready or his development is better served elsewhere... but like the faith in Botts to objectively improve our roster and cap situations, my faith in the posters here to stay rational in the face of even the most inconsequential odds is shaken to say the least.

We will never know. When it became clear Tage was not up to NHL standards, it also would have been fine to see him sent down to work on his game. And yet there were some who opined that the coach and GM saying they wanted to keep him around was all fine. The guy needs practice and game reps and work in the weight room (which is mostly a summer activity). Practice and game reps are far easier to get in the AHL than in the NHL. That hasn't changed. He did work when he went down, said and did the right things. He continues to say and do the right things - that is encouraging. Hopefully he starts to put the off-ice work to gain balance and drive together with smarter puck decisions and engagement so that he can toe drag people like some later-day Mario Lemieux and we can collectively celebrate the guy being good on the ice.

And my faith in people to actually talk about the team rather than make stuff up to be indignant about what other's opinions are in nearly ever thread is non-existent. So. Moving back to actually discussing Thompson....

Kid impressed again in practice this morning from the scuttlebutt I get from 1400 miles away. Eyes on him saying he was again one of the best performers in the early session.

 

[beerme1]

No. He got injured before Christmas in Rochester.

Must have been the year before then.

 

[Chainshot]

Must have been the year before then.

It was. During the rookie tournament, hurt in the first game.

 

[Snippit]

Expectations this year?

Point per game in the AHL with 30 goals? Late season call up?

God forbid he starts in the NHL..

 

[Sabre the Win]

Expectations this year?

Point per game in the AHL with 30 goals? Late season call up?

God forbid he starts in the NHL..

competition and earning it were proven as just buzz words for Botterill to win over the gullible when it came to camp.

 

[Sabresfansince1980]

competition and earning it were proven as just buzz words for Botterill to win over the gullible when it came to camp.

Wilson got hurt in camp, and even considering him, there weren't 14 NHL quality players to have start on the roster. Send Thompson down and keep Nylander or whoever your favorite other camp guy was, and the result is the same - a meh prospect that isn't quite ready. Nobody separated themselves from Thompson enough to call foul. Flip-flopping prospects in and out of Rochester during the season doesn't seem like a terrible idea, but not a great enough idea for me to call foul on that either.

This is yet another issue that just isn't that important to damn anyone over. Ultimately players have to prove themselves, and increased competition is a great motivator for that. That's exactly what's happened over this summer.

 

[Tatanka]

All ECHL...2nd team.

 

[old kummelweck]

He'll be on the roster opening night. 20-20 season.