Before his emergence as a superstar, Sabres forward was nearly traded to a top team for next to nothing
In a recent episode of 32 Thoughts the Podcast with Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman, they discussed past deals with Matthew Tkachuk, Seth Jones, and one particularly interesting player, the up-and-coming Tage Thompson. Friedman stated that a team that would remain unidentified could have had the star forward for a substantially low price.
The team interested was rumoured to be very good and could have obtained Thompson for just a fifth-round pick. The deal never went through, with the team declining to offer up the pick 2-3 years ago, for what is now a point-per-game scorer in Buffalo.
Thompson has 49 points in 31 games this season, taking the league by storm. He currently sits third in the league in points and has scored the second-most goals this season behind Connor McDavid. In the 2021-2022 campaign, Thompson found success scoring 68 points in 78 games. He led the Sabres in scoring and earned an extension of seven years worth $50 million.
To think that a player of this caliber - a top-5 scorer in the NHL - was up for grabs for the price of a fifth-round pick is mind-boggling. To put his season into perspective, he's nearly ten points ahead of Sidney Crosby and Auston Matthews, last year's league MVP.
Thompson, who is just 25 years of age, is just entering his prime. The Sabres have him signed through the 2029-2030 season.
Credit: hockeydb.com
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 19 | 92 ANSWERS Before his emergence as a superstar, Sabres forward was nearly traded to a top team for next to nothing Who do you think the odds are that the team who rejected the deal was the Leafs? | ||
| 10% or less | 36 | 39.1 % |
| 11-25% | 13 | 14.1 % |
| 26-50% | 21 | 22.8 % |
| Higher than 50% | 22 | 23.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
