Tage Thompson certainly got his fair share of treats on Halloween night, as the Buffalo Sabres forward lit up the Detroit Red Wings for six points, including a hat trick, in an 8-3 win.
After a 38-goal, 68-point season in 2021-22, Thompson is already building on that with six goals and 12 points in nine games this season. Now with a seven-year deal with a $7,142,857 cap hit starting up next year, Thompson is going to get paid like a star, so Frank Seravalli and Steven Ellis talked about if he’s actually turning into one too.
Frank Seravalli: “I think I needed to see a little bit more. Last night was a step in the right direction, but I don’t know if I’m quite there yet. What say you?"
Steven Ellis: “I’m with you. The fact is, he got six points in one game, fantastic, unbelievable, but that’s still half his point total. This is a guy that, when you look at how good he was last year, you could say ‘OK, he got a lot of points, but he got it on a team that wasn’t very competitive.’ Now, when this team starts to play a bit more meaningful games as they continue to be more competitive, can he take his game up another notch?
"And I think he’s doing a fantastic job this year, he’s definitely a star on the Sabres. I don’t think he’s a star in this league yet, but if he hits 70 points again, or 75, more than that, that’s a good sign. This is a guy who’s flying high right now. I believe he’s got nine points in his last two games, it’s unbelievable. He’s determined, he’s so much fun to watch and he’s got the size.
"This is the guy that we expected when he turned pro. When he struggled a bit in St. Louis, it was a bit of a shock. I think people thought he’d be a bit better. He’s now found his groove, he’s comfortable and he’s a leader on this team."
Frank Seravalli: “Well, you can see why it’s a worthy bet for the Sabres, right? They get ahead of it, a guy making $1.4 million this year, it’s a huge raise to get him north of $7 million on that $50 million deal. But when you look at it, and the production last year, if he gets close to that 70-point range, you’ve got a really solid player for the next number of years, seven years now because the contract didn’t even begin, especially at a time when the cap is going up in a big way. So you can understand why the Sabres made that bet.”
You can watch the full episode here…
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