The Sabres ended up with a really cheap deal for Tage Thompson, giving him 3 years at $1.4M each.
If the contract were anything more than that, it’d be overpaying. Thompson came over in the Ryan O’Reilly deal but has had little success in Buffalo.
We have signed Tage Thompson to three-year contract with an AAV of $1.4 million.
Welcome back, @TThompson_97! ????
Details: https://t.co/RUHrxPKeD5 pic.twitter.com/MhYXgn7qHa
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) October 5, 2020
He has 12 points (seven goals, five assists) in 66 games with the Sabres. He went down to Rochester and had six goals and six assists in 16 games with the Amerks in 2019-20. That’s a much better kind of production that would help him become a mainstay in Buffalo.
But that was only a short sample size.
Thompson will be 23 years old at the end of October. The 6’6″, 215 lb forward can still turn out to be a useful depth piece, at the least. He was a 1st round pick (26th overall) by St. Louis in 2016, and if he can play as he did in Rochester, it’d be a huge boost on the bottom two lines.
This contract is a big win for the organization, as it comes with very little risk. If Thompson doesn’t improve, it’s not a big loss. If he’s capable of stepping up his game (at all), it could be a steal.
Sabres Sign Olgevie
The Sabres also signed Andrew Oglevie earlier last week. The forward had 29 points (15 goals, 14 assists_ in 55 games with Rochester last season. He could make his NHL debut in the coming season.
The Buffalo Sabres have signed forward Andrew Oglevie to a two-year contract with an AAV of $750,000. pic.twitter.com/6fghLf5y5A
— Sabres PR (@SabresPR) October 2, 2020