Tage Thompson: Top 10 Center

[Randall Flagg]

1 hour ago, Buffalonill said:

No.

I saw something by a fan saying that jack hated tage thompson And constantly told management to send him to the AHL 

To be fair to Jack, this was a sober interpretation of reality when he was here.

[xzy89c1]

16 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

The Sabres as a team need to accomplish this goal.

True, but irrelevant to this thread. Topic: is Thompson a top 10 center? 

His inability to win draws rules him out as a top ten. Hopefully he is figuring out a new strategy and doing constant drills to improve.

Edited July 11, 2023 by xzy89c1

[Buffalonill]

17 hours ago, Buffalonill said:

Tage is better then Jack Eichel it's not even a Competition.

@xzy89c1 tell me how I'm wrong 

[LGR4GM]

29 minutes ago, xzy89c1 said:

True, but irrelevant to this thread. Topic: is Thompson a top 10 center? 

His inability to win draws rules him out as a top ten. Hopefully he is figuring out a new strategy and doing constant drills to improve.

I would 100% disagree on that being the defining reason why he isn't a top 10 center. 

[Buffalonill]

16 hours ago, xzy89c1 said:

In order to be considered with the top centers, he needs to improve his faceoffs. he is abysmal. you need someone else to take important draws.

Have you heard of someone called nathan MacKinnon?

 

Edited July 11, 2023 by Buffalonill

[Pimlach]

22 hours ago, pi2000 said:

If we're talking all-around game I'd put him top 15, just outside top 10..

my top 10 in no specific order

• McDavid
• Crosby
• Matthews
• Barkov
• MacKinnon
• Malkin
• Bergeron
• Draisaitl
• Aho
• Hughes

...I'd put Zibanejad in there as well, just above Tage.   

Would you trade Tage straight up for them?  

• McDavid - Yes
• Crosby - No (too old now)
• Matthews - Maybe
• Barkov - No 
• MacKinnon - Yes
• Malkin  - No
• Bergeron - No (to old now) 
• Draisaitl - No 
• Aho - No 
• Hughes - Maybe

Petersson - No

Zibby - No

 

Tage is top 10 right now with maybe more upside coming.  

Edited July 11, 2023 by Pimlach

[Pimlach]

21 hours ago, Thorny said:

Eichel, as a Sabre, finished *higher than Thompson league wide for points*.... twice 

Eichel had *two* seasons better offensively, league wide relative, than Thompson did

Jack has finishes of 11th and 10th place in league scoring, Tage’s highest finish was 15th

Better seasons "league wide relative"?   You are really stretching this one.  Thompson has played center for 2 NHL seasons.  

We are taking about right now - When did Eichel ever score 47 goals and 94 points?  what year?  Oh, never, and not even close.  

Thompson has had 2 seasons as a center and in both of them has scored more goals that Eichel ever did in his best season(s).  

Put Thompson on the better balanced team like Vegas and his numbers would be even better.  We know what Eichel was in Buffalo, a 15-20 ranked center with a terrible attitude.  He was the Captain that won't eat lunch with 4th liners.  Eichel is fortunate to get traded to a balanced, well coached, veteran team that did not need his kind of leadership.   

Eichel is a very good player that won a Cup.   There are some really great players that never won one.  Lets not re-write his Buffalo history which was a massive failure that while not all his fault, he definitely contributed to.  

Edited July 11, 2023 by Pimlach

[Taro T]

57 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

Would you trade Tage straight up for them?  

• McDavid - Yes
• Crosby - No (too old now)
• Matthews - Maybe
• Barkov - No 
• MacKinnon - Yes
• Malkin  - No
• Bergeron - No (to old now) 
• Draisaitl - No 
• Aho - No 
• Hughes - Maybe

Petersson - No

Zibby - No

 

Tage is top 10 right now with maybe more upside coming.  

But if you flip that question, would you trade THEM straight up for Tage, you'd likely get the reply back:

H*ll no.

No.  (Possible maybe due to age.)

No.

No.

No.

Heck no.

Yes.

Maybe.  (Depends on whether he wants to play again this year.)

No.

Maybe.

No.

Which puts him POSSIBLY in the top 10, if those are the only guys you look at.  Doubt Vegas would send Eichel back for him either, just picking one name that isn't in that top 12 list.

Petterson and Zibanejad would likely be a no and a maybe too.

People tend to like their own guys and even overrate them because they see them all the time and know for sure what their ceilings are and see them reach it every so often.

[French Collection]

TNT is definitely in the top 10 centres as far as offensive play. His defensive game needs work and his faceoff skills.

I would say he is in the group around 7-12 depending on how effectiveness is measured.

Guys like Bergeron, Barkov and Kopitar can’t score like Tage but bring other facets of the position that make them highly valued.

TNT may not need to be as good defensively because his skating, size, reach and stick handling have him keep the puck longer than most. Being on the positive side of the possession game is a good form of defense.

[Pimlach]

17 minutes ago, Taro T said:

But if you flip that question, would you trade THEM straight up for Tage, you'd likely get the reply back:

H*ll no.

No.  (Possible maybe due to age.)

No.

No.

No.

Heck no.

Yes.

Maybe.  (Depends on whether he wants to play again this year.)

No.

Maybe.

No.

Which puts him POSSIBLY in the top 10, if those are the only guys you look at.  Doubt Vegas would send Eichel back for him either, just picking one name that isn't in that top 12 list.

Petterson and Zibanejad would likely be a no and a maybe too.

People tend to like their own guys and even overrate them because they see them all the time and know for sure what their ceilings are and see them reach it every so often.

I think more will make that trade than your list, except for McDavid, McKinnon, Mathews and Hughes - it depends on what their team needs are, the direction they are going.  Some teams might want to get younger, or score more.  

[Taro T]

2 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

I think more will make that trade than your list, except for McDavid, McKinnon, Mathews and Hughes - it depends on what their team needs are, the direction they are going.  Some teams might want to get younger, or score more.  

They might, but do you honestly see Crosby retiring in any sweater other than the one he wears today?  The Pens are not trading him away.  MAYBE for MacKinnon and probably for McDavid.  But they aren't looking to dis a legend.

IMHO, the Bruins would see Bergeron the same way should he be willing to come back on another incentive laden deal.  It's not the same as Chara FINALLY walking in his 40's after having been on other teams early in his career.

[pi2000]

1 hour ago, French Collection said:

TNT is definitely in the top 10 centres as far as offensive play. His defensive game needs work and his faceoff skills.

I would say he is in the group around 7-12 depending on how effectiveness is measured.

Guys like Bergeron, Barkov and Kopitar can’t score like Tage but bring other facets of the position that make them highly valued.

TNT may not need to be as good defensively because his skating, size, reach and stick handling have him keep the puck longer than most. Being on the positive side of the possession game is a good form of defense.

This 100%.

He's a top 10 scoring center (8th among centers last season) but only a top 15-20 all-around center.

[Buffalonill]

3 hours ago, Buffalonill said:

Have you heard of someone called nathan MacKinnon?

 

@xzy89c1  Apparently you've never Seen MacKinnon on faceoffs .

If that's your only reason why tage is not a top center that's pretty Ridiculous

I'll wait for your thumbs down post..

With no response

[Thorny]

8 hours ago, Pimlach said:

Better seasons "league wide relative"?   You are really stretching this one.  Thompson has played center for 2 NHL seasons.  

We are taking about right now - When did Eichel ever score 47 goals and 94 points?  what year?  Oh, never, and not even close.  

Thompson has had 2 seasons as a center and in both of them has scored more goals that Eichel ever did in his best season(s).  

Put Thompson on the better balanced team like Vegas and his numbers would be even better.  We know what Eichel was in Buffalo, a 15-20 ranked center with a terrible attitude.  He was the Captain that won't eat lunch with 4th liners.  Eichel is fortunate to get traded to a balanced, well coached, veteran team that did not need his kind of leadership.   

Eichel is a very good player that won a Cup.   There are some really great players that never won one.  Lets not re-write his Buffalo history which was a massive failure that while not all his fault, he definitely contributed to.  

You are getting way too hung up on trying to determine who’s “better”. I already said, my initial contention wasn’t to claim one was better than the other. Go back and read what I was responding to. I was simply taking issue with the idea presented that “Eichel never had that big breakout season”, because that was objectively false. How many times do I need to clarify this? That was my contention. You are trying to compare and contrast their entire careers for some reason.

My point, which wasn’t even a little bit of a stretch by any lengths of the imagination, wasn’t that Eichel was better, it’s that it was being argued Thompson HAD that breakout season where Eichel did not: and I chimed in to say, Eichel finished higher in league scoring in 19-20 than Thompson did this season. That’s not a stretch, that’s the definitive point: Thompson finished 15th in scoring this year. Jack finished 10th in 19-20. He also finished higher than Thompson in the MVP vote.

Again, im not saying Eichel is better. What I’m saying is that if this was a “big breakout season” for Thompson, Jack’s was also a “big breakout season.”

Edited July 11, 2023 by Thorny

[Pimlach]

58 minutes ago, Thorny said:

You are getting way too hung up on trying to determine who’s “better”. I already said, my initial contention wasn’t to claim one was better than the other. Go back and read what I was responding to. I was simply taking issue with the idea presented that “Eichel never had that big breakout season”, because that was objectively false. How many times do I need to clarify this? That was my contention. You are trying to compare and contrast their entire careers for some reason.

My point, which wasn’t even a little bit of a stretch by any lengths of the imagination, wasn’t that Eichel was better, it’s that it was being argued Thompson HAD that breakout season where Eichel did not: and I chimed in to say, Eichel finished higher in league scoring in 19-20 than Thompson did this season. That’s not a stretch, that’s the definitive point: Thompson finished 15th in scoring this year. Jack finished 10th in 19-20. He also finished higher than Thompson in the MVP vote.

Again, im not saying Eichel is better. What I’m saying is that if this was a “big breakout season” for Thompson, Jack’s was also a “big breakout season.”

Got it, and I am not saying Thompson had a breakout season and Eichel didn't.  Eichel had one a few years back.   Thompson followed up one good season with an even better one.  

I can accurately say that Thompson is a top ten scoring center in the league, Eichel is not right now. 

This thread is about - Is Thompson a top ten center in the league?  Some say yes, others say not until other parts of his game improve.  My biggest point is there are only a handful of centers I would trade for Thompson and it does not include older players like Bergeron, Crosby, or Malkin - although they have HoF greatness. 

Not Point, Barkov, Zibanajek, Petersson, or Aho either.  I think Thompson might have a higher ceiling than these players and Tage could someday possibly move into the grouping with Mathews and Draisaitl, who are both below MacKinnon and McDavid. 

[Buffalonill]

16 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

Got it, and I am not saying Thompson had a breakout season and Eichel didn't.  Eichel had one a few years back.   Thompson followed up one good season with an even better one.  

I can accurately say that Thompson is a top ten scoring center in the league, Eichel is not right now. 

This thread is about - Is Thompson a top ten center in the league?  Some say yes, others say not until other parts of his game improve.  My biggest point is there are only a handful of centers I would trade for Thompson and it does not include older players like Bergeron, Crosby, or Malkin - although they have HoF greatness. 

Not Point, Barkov, Zibanajek, Petersson, or Aho either.  I think Thompson might have a higher ceiling than these players and Tage could someday possibly move into the grouping with Mathews and Draisaitl, who are both below MacKinnon and McDavid. 

Exactly tage has been improving every year now I can't wait for the third year. 

People are probably gonna take this the wrong way but Jack lost the burst that he had that made him special imo his skating is not the same anymore 

Edited July 12, 2023 by Buffalonill

[Thorny]

5 minutes ago, Buffalonill said:

Exactly tage has been improving every year now I can't wait for the third year. 

People are probably gonna take this the wrong way but Jack lost the burst that he had that made him special imo his skating is not the same anymore 

Jack follows up a top 10 mvp finish by...getting hurt...battling back from intensive surgery...and then immediately winning the cup while *checks notes* leading the entire playoffs in scoring 

the Utter weirdness. Of course people will take it the wrong way.  Anyone with a shred of objectivity.  If you watched the playoffs, you’d have seen the burst. Dude dominated McDavid head to head.  Enough of this manufactured narrative 

Edited July 12, 2023 by Thorny

[bob_sauve28]

 

[sabremike]

I NEED THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TagePillow > MyPillow 

[\GoBillsInDallas/]

 

[Zamboni]

On 7/14/2023 at 1:02 PM, bob_sauve28 said:

 

Awesome. That made me smile. 
 

The Tage pillow can go to F itself 😂

[Quint]

 

[Brawndo]

NHL Network ranked the Top 20 Centers. Tage is 11th

[K-9]

26 minutes ago, Brawndo said:

NHL Network ranked the Top 20 Centers. Tage is 11th

Haven’t seen the list, but I’m guessing there are at least a couple in the top 10 I’d rank him higher than.

[Thorny]

40 minutes ago, Brawndo said:

NHL Network ranked the Top 20 Centers. Tage is 11th

He finished 8th in points for centres last year and his D isn’t anything to write home about, so this seems fair. Considering he only did it for 1 year so far, I’m quite happy with the ranking tbh