The Buffalo Sabres have made a big investment in a player they hope will be a big part of their rebuild. The team announced that forward Tage Thompson has signed a seven-year contract worth a total of $50 million.
The Buffalo Sabres have made a big investment in a player they hope will be a big part of their rebuild. The team announced that forward Tage Thompson has signed a seven-year contract worth a total of $50 million, which will begin in the 2023-24 season.
Thompson, 24, is coming off a career season with the Sabres in which he scored 38 goals and added 30 assists for a total of 68 points. Thompson found a lot of success with Alex Tuch on his wing, and that will be an exciting combination for Buffalo in the 2022-23 season.
Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams said the franchise hopes that Thompson can be a foundational piece for years to come.
"Tage Thompson embodies the pride we expect from every player who wears the Buffalo Sabres sweater," Adams said in a statement. "His success last season is a testament to his unrelenting dedication to his craft and commitment to bettering the team both on and off the ice, which we believe will help us reach even greater heights moving forward. We are thrilled to extend Tage, keeping him and his family in Buffalo for many years to come."
The St. Louis Blues selected Thompson with the No. 26 overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft. He played just 41 games for the Blues before being traded to the Sabres in a trade for Ryan O'Reilly.
In his first three seasons with the Sabres, Thompson scored just 15 goals and 26 points in 108 games played. The 2021-22 campaign brought the breakout year that Buffalo had been hoping for when they acquired him.
