Heading into the 2024-25 season, we will be taking a closer look at the most vital parts of the Buffalo Sabres’ lineup. We will look back on a season ago, what the team needs out of that player, and what to expect in the season ahead.
Starting off this series is without a doubt one of the most important players on the roster: Tage Thompson. The dynamic young center exploded for 47 goals and 94 points in 2022-23, giving the Sabres one of the best young offensive talents in the league. Now, he is a focal point for the franchise and a valuable part of the core.
How 2023-24 Went
Close your eyes and point and you will find a Sabre that had a disappointing season. For Thompson, it wasn’t necessarily a regression so much as a constant battle with injuries. A wrist injury kept him out of action toward the end of 2023. The dreaded lower body injury plagued him in March 2024.
Thompson finished the season with 29 goals and 56 points in 71 games, a massive drop-off from his career-best season in 2022-23. It was clear in the wake of the hand/wrist injury that he wasn’t 100 percent and it looks like he took some time to get back to normal.
Down the stretch, he looked like his old, dominant self again. The sample size – last season, at least – is pretty small but definitely encouraging. Besides, it’s hard to expect a guy battling injuries to be at his best when virtually the entire team left Sabres fans confused and frustrated.
What the Sabres Need From Thompson
If the best-case scenarios for the Sabres are going to play out, it has to be Thompson at the forefront. Yes, the team needs more out of guys like Dylan Cozens, Alex Tuch, and Owen Power, but Thompson is the Sabres’ franchise center. He needs to drive the play.
Related: Buffalo Sabre’s 4 Biggest Questions for 2024-25
There is one major silver lining in the form of his contract. Even a season like last season – not his best – is still a bargain because his contract is such a sweetheart deal. With a cap hit of $7.14 million, Thompson performing at his peak makes the deal an otherworldly value.
That said, the Sabres are at a crossroads. They need Thompson to be the player he was in 2022-23, not the player from a season ago. He has to at least sniff the 40-goal, 80-point mark to continue being the top center for the Sabres.
Most of all, he has to help resurrect the power play. The 29th-ranked unit from a season ago was a major reason for the offensive struggles the team faced. Thompson needs to get back to sending rockets from the left hash marks past confused and slightly terrified goalies.
2024-25 Projection
Thompson finished the season on a positive note. He finished with 11 goals and 21 points in his final 22 games, including a six-game point streak in the middle of March. Most importantly, he showed the unmistakable talent that made him a star the season prior.
It’s hard to see anything but a rebound from Thompson in the coming season. He will again get top-line minutes as well as the bulk of power play duties. His shot is among the deadliest in the league, his size gives him near unmatchable reach, and his hands are incredibly soft for a player of his stature.
Look for Thompson to climb back into the mid-40s in terms of goals while pushing the 90-point mark. With his elevated play will come a bounce back from Alex Tuch. Not only that, J.J. Peterka on the wing could be this season’s genuine breakout star. Thompson is too good to keep down.
A Critical Piece for the Sabres
At the end of the day, as Thompson goes, so go the Sabres. He thrived two seasons ago and the Sabres made a late push for the playoffs. He struggled with injuries a season ago and the Sabres never really found their footing.
If Thompson can find his game again and do so with some consistency, the drought will be in serious danger. And if he manages to get them back into the playoffs for the first time since 2011, he will have carved out a place in Buffalo sports lore.
