TBN: Tage Thompson: He's fit. He's tanned. He's ready to dominate.

[Ace]

It’s not his fault who he was traded for. What i saw was a guy who struggled, was sent down and worked his giraffe tail off to become a force down there...and then hit the worst luck when he earned his call back with the injury. But you have to appreciate the work he put in and hope it pays off for him and the team.

 

[Paxon]

It’s not his fault who he was traded for. What i saw was a guy who struggled, was sent down and worked his giraffe tail off to become a force down there...and then hit the worst luck when he earned his call back with the injury. But you have to appreciate the work he put in and hope it pays off for him and the team.

Following up what was a lot of work and improvement in Rochester pre-injury last season with taking full advantage of the long layoff in terms of adding the muscle that he needed to succeed should have everyone pretty happy about how he has been developing since coming here. Now he has a hell of an opportunity to show where his game is at.

 

[Buffaloed]

I love sea lions as well:


Did you know in our first season as a publicity stunt when we played the Seals we arranged for their owner Charlie O'Finley to be greeted by a live seal at center ice at The Aud (I've been trying to find a picture of this forever but with no luck)?

This belongs in the Jeff Skinner thread.

 

[HaNotsri]

When does TT stop becoming a meme on this forum?

What does he have to achieve as a minimum requirement?

Genuine question.

My guess is that memes will increase exponentially with every goal he scores. A 30 goal season could end the internet as we know it.

 

[Dubi Doo]

It’s not his fault who he was traded for. What i saw was a guy who struggled, was sent down and worked his giraffe tail off to become a force down there...and then hit the worst luck when he earned his call back with the injury. But you have to appreciate the work he put in and hope it pays off for him and the team.

Yup, Botts is an a**hat, but that doesn't mean I will hate on Thompson for ever. I really hope he becomes a legit top-6 winger and, as you alluded to, I really, really respect the amount of work he's supposedly put into his game.

 

[Jim Bob]

That didn’t take long.

 

[Fjordy]

He is not Thomas

 

[mattihp]

What's the deal with his first name? Is it pronounced as in swedish or to rhyme with saige?

 

[Sabre Dance]

Experiment over.

 

[sabremike]

That didn’t take long.

If any fan in a non traditional hockey market gets a lecture about how they know nothing about the sport they can point to this tweet and go "checkmate".

 

[joshjull]

Its funny how perception shapes reality.

Tage kills his line, bust, bum, etc


Hall/Jack/Tage (6:40mins together last night)

CF% ——> 64% (7 to 4)
SF% ——> 67% (4 to 2)
SCF% —> 100% (4 to 0)
HDCF% -> 100% (3 to 0)
xGF% —-> 93%

If thats “killing” a line then can we have more lines get killed please.

I think Sam is a better fit on that line but Tage was doing the opposite of killing it.

 

[Team Cozens]

Dahlin - Borgen please

Beniers, Power, Hughes, Clarke, Guenther, Eklund, but there are probably more, I haven't studied the upcoming draft yet.

Sabres aren't tanking but their division is going to tank them.

 

[Fjordy]

Sabres aren't tanking but their division is going to tank them.

We also have a Hall that can lure the first choice.

Adams and Krueger: We sign Taylor Hall to win the first draft pick and take on a truly great prospect (spoiler: and to ruin it later).

 

[Team Cozens]

We also have a Hall that can lure the first choice.

Adams and Krueger: We sign Taylor Hall to win the first draft pick and take on a truly great prospect (spoiler: to ruin it later).

I'm just so tired of prospects.... we need to trade our first rounder for help now.

Nylander, Mittelstadt, Asplund. Our next great hope takes too long.
MAYBE Cozens and Quinn turn out but obviously nothing is guaranteed.

 

[Fjordy]

I'm just so tired of prospects.... we need to trade our first rounder for help now.

Nylander, Mittelstadt, Asplund. Our next great hope takes too long.
MAYBE Cozens and Quinn turn out but obviously nothing is guaranteed.

With the right development, they can all be good players, but this requires at least an adequate coach. Why don't Heiskanen or Q. Hughes degrade? What did they want to do with Dahlin when they told him to gain weight, why? To make a second Risto out of him or what? It's such a joke. And we still do not know that in fact Krueger and Smith are whispering in Dahlin's ear, maybe they are drumming in complete nonsense, and then Cozens will become their victim.

 

[MarkusKetterer]

Dahlin - Borgen please

Beniers, Power, Hughes, Clarke, Guenther, Eklund, but there are probably more, I haven't studied the upcoming draft yet.

Raty?

 

[Fjordy]

Raty?

It seems he's not very good at the moment.

 

[explore]

Its funny how perception shapes reality.

Tage kills his line, bust, bum, etc


Hall/Jack/Tage (6:40mins together last night)

CF% ——> 64% (7 to 4)
SF% ——> 67% (4 to 2)
SCF% —> 100% (4 to 0)
HDCF% -> 100% (3 to 0)
xGF% —-> 93%

If thats “killing” a line then can we have more lines get killed please.

I think Sam is a better fit on that line but Tage was doing the opposite of killing it.

Tage also wasn't winning any puck battles or creating plays. He's a third-liner inexplicably playing in the top-six. If he brought toughness to the lineup that'd be one thing, but he looks like a less talented Taylor Pyatt at this rate

 

[Fezzy126]

Its funny how perception shapes reality.

Tage kills his line, bust, bum, etc


Hall/Jack/Tage (6:40mins together last night)

CF% ——> 64% (7 to 4)
SF% ——> 67% (4 to 2)
SCF% —> 100% (4 to 0)
HDCF% -> 100% (3 to 0)
xGF% —-> 93%

If thats “killing” a line then can we have more lines get killed please.

I think Sam is a better fit on that line but Tage was doing the opposite of killing it.

I don't know if any player is capable of killing a line with two all-stars, so most of the reactions are definitely overreactions. But I did think that a good number of possessions ended on his stick last night.

Eichel and Hall would probably be better complimented by someone playing a much simpler game:

• when they have the puck go to the net
• when the puck goes into the corners dig it out and get it back to one of them

Occassionally he'll go to the net when he decides to lower his shoulder on the rush (something we still don't see enough of), but otherwise Tage seems to naturally gravitate to the perimeter.

I know this is oversimplifying it, but that line looked much more dynamic when they elevated Sam.

 

[UnleashRasmus]

He's a fourth line alternative, that's it.

 

[joshjull]

Tage also wasn't winning any puck battles or creating plays. He's a third-liner inexplicably playing in the top-six. If he brought toughness to the lineup that'd be one thing, but he looks like a less talented Taylor Pyatt at this rate

I’m not arguing he made that line go or was a key cog of it. I’m pointing out the line dominated play with him on it so he clearly wasn’t “killing the line” (as many have been complaining). I also said I thought Sam was a better fit on the line so Tage should be moved off it.

 

[joshjull]

I don't know if any player is capable of killing a line with two all-stars, so most of the reactions are definitely overreactions. But I did think that a good number of possessions ended on his stick last night.

Eichel and Hall would probably be better complimented by someone playing a much simpler game:

• when they have the puck go to the net
• when the puck goes into the corners dig it out and get it back to one of them

Occassionally he'll go to the net when he decides to lower his shoulder on the rush (something we still don't see enough of), but otherwise Tage seems to naturally gravitate to the perimeter.

I know this is oversimplifying it, but that line looked much more dynamic when they elevated Sam.

As I posted, I not advocating he stay there. I think Sam is a much better fit for what they need. I was just dispelling the overheated criticism that he was “killing” that line. As you mention, killing that line would be hard to do.

 

[Jim Bob]

He's fit. He's tanned. He's scratched.

 

[Chainshot]

While Eakin had a couple of moments last night where he was around dangerous areas with the puck, it seemed like the line performed better with Thompson than Asplund.

 

[TehDoak]

I think we gotta give Thompson some time. He seems to look great in limited contact situations like training camp, but has a hard time with NHL game speed. Let him be 13th forward for a bit, get into games and do injury fill ins. It doesn't mean he's a bust, just that he needs more time. He needs to play a simple game. He has "fancy play syndrome" where he thinks he has to toe drag or make a fancy pass rather than just playing a strong, simple game.