Tage Thompson- What the h*** happened?!?!

[bob_sauve28]

Just now, WhenWillItEnd66 said:

Concussion? Broken nose or a fracture in the face? I think he was hit in the head. 

Hopefully nothing serious 

[bob_sauve28]

 

[Sabres Super Fan]

The Buffalo Sabres need to stop firing head coaches and general managers. If the Sabres don’t make the playoffs this season. I would trade both Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch in the offseason there not good enough to be a core the Sabres build around for years. Move them now while they have trade value because it’s obvious neither one are leaders. As a Sabres fan I have seen enough of those two players to move on from them in my opinion. Go Sabres! Let’s Go Buffalo 

[inkman]

Just sayin’

 

[GASabresIUFAN]

10 minutes ago, Sabres Super Fan said:

The Buffalo Sabres need to stop firing head coaches and general managers. If the Sabres don’t make the playoffs this season. I would trade both Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch in the offseason there not good enough to be a core the Sabres build around for years. Move them now while they have trade value because it’s obvious neither one are leaders. As a Sabres fan I have seen enough of those two players to move on from them in my opinion. Go Sabres! Let’s Go Buffalo 

Would you have made this post last year?  

[pi2000]

"Imaging"?  On what?  His face? 

[WhenWillItEnd66]

12 minutes ago, Sabres Super Fan said:

The Buffalo Sabres need to stop firing head coaches and general managers. If the Sabres don’t make the playoffs this season. I would trade both Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch in the offseason there not good enough to be a core the Sabres build around for years. Move them now while they have trade value because it’s obvious neither one are leaders. As a Sabres fan I have seen enough of those two players to move onmean  from them in my opinion. Go Sabres! Let’s Go Buffalo 

You must mean start, not stop. This organization is slow to do that all. 

[Pimlach]

Rough year. This is his third injury that we know about.  

[Taro T]

29 minutes ago, pi2000 said:

"Imaging"?  On what?  His face? 

Do we know it was the facial injury that took him out of the game the 2nd time?  During the broadcast they mentioned another injury after he went out.  (Maybe Dunleavy was merely speculating.)

Haven't heard anything about the injury except that it's being evaluated and they're awaiting imaging results on the injury.

[Thorny]

2 hours ago, Sabres Super Fan said:

The Buffalo Sabres need to stop firing head coaches and general managers. If the Sabres don’t make the playoffs this season. I would trade both Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch in the offseason there not good enough to be a core the Sabres build around for years. Move them now while they have trade value because it’s obvious neither one are leaders. As a Sabres fan I have seen enough of those two players to move on from them in my opinion. Go Sabres! Let’s Go Buffalo 

Is this AI? The opinions on this account seem to 180 daily. Actually asking 

[Thorny]

On 1/9/2024 at 9:44 PM, Sabres Super Fan said:

Terrible Buffalo Sabres loss tonight to the Seattle Kraken. It’s well past the time for the Sabres to fire Don Granato in my opinion. Go Sabres! Let’s Go Buffalo 

 

Edited January 12 by Thorny

[K-9]

2 hours ago, bob_sauve28 said:

 

I’d rather they remove Power from the 2nd PP unit. His decision making is just too slow. I’d give little Johnson a look at least. He seems much more decisive.

[K-9]

2 hours ago, pi2000 said:

"Imaging"?  On what?  His face? 

He came back after the high stick to the face but didn’t he take a slash to his hand area later on?

[Buffalonill]

4 hours ago, Sabres Super Fan said:

The Buffalo Sabres need to stop firing head coaches and general managers. If the Sabres don’t make the playoffs this season. I would trade both Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch in the offseason there not good enough to be a core the Sabres build around for years. Move them now while they have trade value because it’s obvious neither one are leaders. As a Sabres fan I have seen enough of those two players to move on from them in my opinion. Go Sabres! Let’s Go Buffalo 

 

[GASabresIUFAN]

@Sabres Super Fan is right about the Sabres needing stability at the top, but that stability needs to be competent people. 

KA and DG both have shown moments of competence.  There is no denying that DG has made a huge difference in players like Dahlin, Thompson, Skinner and others.  He also got the team to play hard after the horror that was RK.  However, he has failed to get the guys to play with any defensive structure and we continue to be in the bottom 25 of the league in giving up High Danger Chances and he has yet to fix the PP.

There is also no denying that KA improved the talent in the organization, specifically the prospect pipeline.  Where he has failed is finding and bringing in the right players to fill the holes in his NHL roster and getting even decent goaltending. 

So the question isn't whether or not the Sabres need stability.  The question is are these the right two guys to give the organization the stability it needs.  After last season I was leaning toward them being part of the long-term solution, but KA's failure to properly fix the holes in the roster and his failure to bring in proven help in goal, has left me believing that he is the wrong man for the job.

The funny thing is I believe that both guys are salvageable.  DG needs experienced assistants and KA needs an experienced team president to help him better understand when and how to use his assets to get the team to the next level.  

Edited January 13 by GASabresIUFAN

[Kr632]

17 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Would you have made this post last year?  

I wanted to trade Tage last year while his value was at its highest. I felt he wasn’t going to sustain that level of play. I also wanted to trade Eichel a couple years before they did. 

Edited January 13 by Kr632

[MattPie]

21 hours ago, pi2000 said:

"Imaging"?  On what?  His face? 

[jad1]

4 hours ago, Kr632 said:

I wanted to trade Tage last year while his value was at its highest. I felt he wasn’t going to sustain that level of play. I also wanted to trade Eichel a couple years before they did. 

Who or what do you want to trade Thompson for?  Trading Eichel is not turning out to be a good move for the franchise.  He won the Cup last year while the Sabres finished 19th, and are trending to finish worse than that this year.

How about hiring a GM who can build a team around his best players instead of trading them away to cover up his own ineptitude?

 

[Pimlach]

16 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

@Sabres Super Fan is right about the Sabres needing stability at the top, but that stability needs to be competent people. 

KA and DG both have shown moments of competence.  There is no denying that DG has made a huge difference in players like Dahlin, Thompson, Skinner and others.  He also got the team to play hard after the horror that was RK.  However, he has failed to get the guys to play with any defensive structure and we continue to be in the bottom 25 of the league in giving up High Danger Chances and he has yet to fix the PP.

There is also no denying that KA improved the talent in the organization, specifically the prospect pipeline.  Where he has failed is finding and bringing in the right players to fill the holes in his NHL roster and getting even decent goaltending. 

So the question isn't whether or not the Sabres need stability.  The question is are these the right two guys to give the organization the stability it needs.  After last season I was leaning toward them being part of the long-term solution, but KA's failure to properly fix the holes in the roster and his failure to bring in proven help in goal, has left me believing that he is the wrong man for the job.

The funny thing is I believe that both guys are salvageable.  DG needs experienced assistants and KA needs an experienced team president to help him better understand when and how to use his assets to get the team to the next level.  

What you are saying in the bold is that they are capable guys but over their heads.    Both promoted too soon  

No doubt that Adams is smart and has done a good job drafting, but the pro personnel moves, the goaltending decisions, the inability to make a significant hockey trade all scream that he is over his head.  Putting a VP above him might work.  Depends on who and if they can work together.  

As for DG.  The bad coaching staff is his problem.  If he doesn’t like his staff he should fix it. We saw Weber and Peca leave and yet DG sticks with his staff.  That’s on him.  

I talked to some folks in Buffalo that are close to this.  There is no “system”.  There is no “adding defense later”,  that statement was a huge red flag.  Like I’ve been saying, the system he has put in is something you throw together for an all star tournament type of team.   They are out-coached every night.  
 

They need a coach.  DG has taken them as far as he can.   The players know it too. 

[WhenWillItEnd66]

No word on Tage?? You know replacing him Olaf, does not give me a warm and fuzzy

[Gatorman0519]

Tage has been injured most of the year.  Once you have multiple nagging injuries you are not going to be at your best. I am not worried about his fall off this year at this point.  

[mjd1001]

5 hours ago, Gatorman0519 said:

Tage has been injured most of the year.  Once you have multiple nagging injuries you are not going to be at your best. I am not worried about his fall off this year at this point.  

I agree with you. Cozens is more worrying.  As I posted in another thread, from his rookie year until this current season, with the exception of ONE season, Cozens is a 6.5-7% shooting guy.   

With Tage, we have a much larger sample size...about 200 games of him being a legit nhl sniper.

With Tage, is started April fools day of 2021. From that date until the end of that season, he had 7 goals in 21 games (a 27-28 goal pace) and shot about 11.5% in that time

The following full season, 38 goals in 78 games (40 goal pace) with over 15% shooting.

Last season, 47 goals in 78 games (about a 50 goal pace) while shooting 15.9%

This year, 14 goals in 33 games (still a 35 goal per 82 pace) while shooting 12.4%. 

The issue is he has missed games, and I am HOPING the couple points drop in shooting percentage was due to nagging injuries he is getting over (In the last 10 games, he is back up to shooting in the upper teens in terms of percentage the last 10 games).

He needs to get healthy, stay healthy and be healthy. They get 9 days off for the All star break..that should do him good.  

Edited January 14 by mjd1001

[bob_sauve28]

 

[JoeSchmoe]

To the Jays fans here, how many recall the story of Chris Colabello?

Colabello hit .321 in 2015 until he got caught using PED's. After that, he had a few years in the minors before his career completely fizzled out.

I know this is going to bring out the regular chorus of boo birds, but any time I see an athlete fall off the cliff as Thompson has, my mind goes to PED's. Was he taking something last year (and the end of the season before) to give him an edge?

Likely, Thompson needs surgery and is playing in pain... Either that or he's mentally checked out and isn't putting in the work off the ice. Ever since Colabello though, I'll always wonder about PED's for guys who fall off a cliff like Thompson. (The exception is Alek Manoah, who seems to have fallen victim to the 🍩 rather than PED's).

[Sabres Fan in NS]

1 hour ago, JoeSchmoe said:

To the Jays fans here, how many recall the story of Chris Colabello?

Colabello hit .321 in 2015 until he got caught using PED's. After that, he had a few years in the minors before his career completely fizzled out.

I know this is going to bring out the regular chorus of boo birds, but any time I see an athlete fall off the cliff as Thompson has, my mind goes to PED's. Was he taking something last year (and the end of the season before) to give him an edge?

Likely, Thompson needs surgery and is playing in pain... Either that or he's mentally checked out and isn't putting in the work off the ice. Ever since Colabello though, I'll always wonder about PED's for guys who fall off a cliff like Thompson. (The exception is Alek Manoah, who seems to have fallen victim to the 🍩 rather than PED's).

I highly doubt the PED suggestion here.

It's much more likely that Tage is playing hurt and will have some sort of minor surgery after the season, or once the playoff have been officially missed.  People tend to forget that he had a real tough go of it some seasons ago.