Why 25 Teams PASSED On Tage Thompson

[@RobTalksHockey]

Guaranteed McDavid Pack Is Now Available 🙌🏼 therthcompany.com/collections/all Who is the most unique player currently in the NHL and/or in NHL history?

[@Bill-mw7sh]

You made excellent points!

[@thebaconmanthony]

The ROR trade was a rare trade; both teams reaped massive awards. The Blues would win a cup with O'Reilly and the Sabres would receive a superstar in Tage Thompson

[@BillyBuffalo354]

Same with the Eichel deal...VGK win the cup, Tuch becomes a star fwd scoring over a point per game with Buffalo, Peyton Krebs becomes part of their young core, and they have Noah Ostlund whos looking great so far in Sweden. The Reinhart deal was a win win as well. FLA wins a presidents trophy, makes a cup appearance, Sabres get Devon Levi - goalie of their future, and Jiri Kulich - who just broke the AHL record for most goals in their age 18 season.

[@HoweyJR_]

@@BillyBuffalo354tuch is not a star & the Sabres lost that trade

[@saltywingsandavsfan]

I’m more impressed with his amazing skating for a size like him. His one timer too man, watch out

[@MbisonBalrog]

I seen plenty of big men skate great in high level men’s leagues. Hockey should be big men sport. Longer legs means longer push off more power faster stride.

[@leodickens3202]

@@MbisonBalrogshould? Are you stupid?

[@stephen9302]

Great to see the Sabres to get a superstar player. Good things ahead for Buffalo

[@gatesgates7788]

His hands at that height is the most impressive thing to me by far.

[@scottcoxworthy]

Tage is my favorite current player to watch. Dudes highlight reel is wild!

[@humblelad]

Not a Sabres fan, but love seeing this kid play and wish the best for his team

[@kellyactormosgoog]

I wanna also give some props. You mention Don Granato, but we also have to look at the man who righted that ship when everyone said it was impossible. I dont think Kevyn Adams gets nearly enough praise for the moves he's made since becoming GM. He found the right coach to not only turn Thompson into a monster, but also to revitalize both Skinner and Okposo. Okposo went from feeling like a drag to a casual fan to feeling like the heart and soul of the team. Good drafting but also good talent management and good jobs identifying some players that would thrive in this system, we gotta look at, like you said, Greenway and Tuch. This team has to be one of the scariest to play now, with all these massive guys who can throw their bodies around but also all the skill those players have to back it up. After so many years of "its a battle between Buffalo and Arizona for who's the worst", actually seeing Buffalo come out of it and feel like a genuine threat to win the cup is fun, and Adams deserves a bit of credit for hiring the right people.

[@RoamHockey]

we are so blessed to have this guy, even Blues fans were laughing we 'took him off their hands' in that ROR deal lol..truth is the Sabres were one of those guilty teams in 2016 as they drafted the bust Alex Nylander at #8 😑 thanks for this Rob 👍

[@h0usecat67]

as a hardcore Oiler fan, Tage is amazing and i cheer for him and the Sabres

[@Wizlo_OP]

I love your vids, You’re one of the people that acc got me to start liking hockey and i thank you for that

[@RobTalksHockey]

Thanks for the support (:

[@JohnB-mo4kq]

Great to hear another fan from other sports is getting into hockey. The more the merrier. Not many sports exist where you need slow motion replay just to see wtf just happened.

[@SombraPiloto]

I played intramural hockey at UConn 30 years ago when all we had was an outdoor (but roofed) rink and Todd Krygier was the first and only Husky in the NHL. It’s crazy to see someone from the program thriving at the highest level of the sport.

[@BarbequeJo]

man as a lifelong sabres fan....i cant not even put inot words how excited i am about this team. donny and GMKA have done an insane job.

[@jimclarence5441]

Just insane that the Sabres have two top centres signed long term for a total of 15m...Thompson and Cozens. Unfair to the other Atlantic division teams

[@BarbequeJo]

@@jimclarence5441 add that onto the top two d boys in dahlin and power.....man this team is just so exciting to talk about

[@sand_is_greaney]

Crazy how the once extremely one-sided TJ Oshie trade who was key to the Caps winning the cup in a way led to the Blues ending up with Tage who was flipped for Ror who was key to winning the cup the next year

[@darkhorse21xx]

Such an amazing player. I do love watching him play.

[@classic.cameras]

Thompson is just good hockey karma coming to a team that desperately needs it. I am no Sabres fan living here in Calgary but I am a fan of this team and I hope and pray they make the playoffs and maybe even go deep. No franchise deserves it more then the Sabres.

[@voittolehti2432]

When Devon Levi played his first NHL game I decided that I might want to start following what's going on with Sabres and I'm sure it's going to be good times in next couple of years.

[@jordanjustinger4289]

Tage was hurt this year and still put up respectable numbers. But without his production the sabres elite top line from last year took a big step back and with it, stagnation of the entire season. Lot of injuries for the sabres this past year. Hopefully everyone comes back healthy and young players take a step forward!

[@dylanbaker9936]

Just got to meet him yesterday at fan fest he's a great dude and one heck of a player let's go buffalo!!!

[@jonahs52803]

Great vid rob, I’m a huge fan of tage

[@mrv6968]

He's still growing his confidence too. Imagine Thompson on a winning Buffalo team? Going into the games knowing your team is going to win.

[@marchmaps]

There's probably been a ton of players with his potential that never panned out because their development was poor. Tage wasn't a sure thing. He was a project that needed a lot of patience and nurturing. I'm sure his uniqueness was the reason it took so long for him, like you said. Once he got that, he became a star. I can't help but think of the other projects that didn't get the development to fulfill their potential that could have laid the groundwork for players like Tage. Even worse the supposed sure things that should not have been projects like the kids on the Rangers whose potential has been stifled for whatever reason.

[@BillyBuffalo354]

Not even just the development time, but then the opportunity to actually show what they can do. Granato converted him to not just a center, but a top line C, playing with talented players like Tuch and Skinner, and put him as the primary option on the top PP unit. Got give talent a chance to perform.

[@josephwirtz8352]

Enjoyed this video Rob! Looking forward to the new season!

[@Maxville2]

I hope he can keep it up this season because he is so fun to watch

[@abagoftoast]

Rob 🤝 the word "exponential"

[@Igoruhandchu]

Lifelong Sabres fan…I had the opportunity to see tage at UConn back in the day with some teammates and no one knew who he was. What stood out was clearly his size. Fast forward a few years and I was almost ready to give up on him as a sabre. I know he had injuries but he was the type to show flashes of dominance and then just not. His development in buffalo has been Wild. I attest a lot of that to Don Granato and Father Time, some guys just figure it out a bit later at 23-25. He’s the guy now.

[@jackmakackov7077]

To be fair, when he came to the Blues he did not look like an NHL player. A sneeze knocked him off the puck. It was brutal. The Sabres would have taken Robbi Fabbri over Thompson in that trade.

[@SuicidalGaming]

The blues also didn't have a system that favored his playstyle like this video is trying to mention and most likely tried to make him into a bottom 6 Power forward role when he has a lethal off puck shot. So not only are you jammed on the wall playing wing you also can't get your Lethal one timer off cause your on the wrong side (RW) and your'e in the bottom 6 with no real elite or even above average setup man. It's also hard when you want to make a skill move too but then get yelled at when you do cause its not the teams style and you can never get your confidence going fully to execute how you intend. Blues have been that old chip and chase team for as long as i can remember. (which is another reason O'reilly was traded for and it worked out well systematically) He'll still have some old tage in him now and again but the system in place in Buffalo is made to handle a few mistakes trying to create offence by all the young speed and tenasity. But yes he was immature physically (baby giraffe) and finding his game early on both places but also wasn't fully utilized properly untill Don Granato.... The move to Center was genius. I often notice Tuch plays a little bit more defensively than tage and takes on some of his roles sometimes in zone but thats ok for now. But what you get offensively is allow the most dangerous guy with the best vision creative freedom to go left or right through the middle and utilize his reach vs being jammed on the boards and often killing what speed you do have. You also give the guy with the most lethal shot on the ice the prime areas in zone to score from instead of having him battle for every puck on the boards and having to back check back tired 200 ft when he wasnt a great skater in the first place. So by playing middle he effectively skates less hard and less distance which masks the deficiencies he used to have In transition it also forces team to gravitate and cover the middle more when a big skilled 6'6 guy is tearing up the middle making it easier for his wingers to have that extra space (which he never got from his centers). And even defensively though he can improve, that reach in the middle is no joke and takes a lot of passing lanes away and double clutches. Trust me this is from a sabres fan who criticized tage all the time for turning it over in our bottom 6 with an extra toe drag, or not getting his shot off ,not hitting etc. Id wonder why he was on the team some nights and how you could possibly be that useless being that big. I fell into the same trap all the scouts and coaches do. I boxed him in as a Big power forward who shouldnt be doing skillfull things and should play way more physical and make no mistakes and still put up like 20 goals. I dont think hes as great as these two players obviously, But granato literally saw that he had a freak combo of Lemuix / Ovechkin and took full advatange of it. The shots i was seeing this man rip last year ive never seen before. If he gets any better and stays healthy 50-60+ is possible in my eyes GO SABRES!

[@smithryansmith]

@@SuicidalGaming Missing the mark here. The Blues of 2019 were a pretty highly skilled team with Tarasenko, Perron, Thomas, etc, not a "chip and chase team". Berube put in a defensively responsible system that helped them win. Chip and chase doesn't win, defence does. Thompson looked slow AF and big and lumbering and couldnt play defensively making him a big liability. It's great he turned into a good player, but as a rookie there were no signs of it and the Blues didn't have space for him. It worked out in the end for both teams. If Thompson ever brings a cup to Buffalo it will balance out.

[@SuicidalGaming]

I guess you missed the mark here too then Ryan.. You pretty much acknowledged what i said then weirdly stated things that back my statements up. The blues were not considered a skilled team at that time which is the whole reason Berube implemented a defensive system lmfao lets not kid anybody here. Maybe skilled compared to what they are now, but no way were they a skill team compared to the rest of the league at that time. They have played boring defensive hockey for awhile now and chip and chase/ playing down low IS and WAS absolutely part of their game. That can still be true while playing a defensive system, so that's just weird to even debate from your perspective honestly. Its also still so early in the front 1/4 of this trade. The cup outweighs the trade a little bit for sure on the surface and Im glad you guys got 1 cup out of it but realistically speaking.... If hypothetically the sabres win even just 1 cup as well they win the trade easily whether you thought they would or not. It can be true both teams had success from the trade but can also be true that one team won it clear by time its said and done despite early expectations. Blues would of gotten 1 cup out of it and about 5 seasons (about 4 with injury time) , while the Sabres end up locking uy who can score 40-50 goals every season for 10+ seasons. As well as Ryan Johnson just entering the league now on Defense who was apart of that trade and could play for another 12-15 years potentially and could be apart of another cup team in the future. Also for the love of god, last time i checked good players dont score 50 goals, ELITE ones do so put some respect on his name and stop living in the past.

[@smithryansmith]

@@SuicidalGaming I see you when the Sabres win a cup with Thomson as Conn Smythe. Till then, stick you finger back up your arse.

[@waynemclean1799]

Definitely my favourite player. The highlight reel.

[@i_am_macgyver84]

Tage Thompson is amazing. I'm a Devil's fan and we have his younger brother Tyce in AHL. I think while not Tage atm he could be playing in the NHL if he was part of a different club.

[@bjarczyk]

Great video! We are so lucky to have him in Buffalo.

[@mattblom3990]

With these big guys sometimes it's confidence to *really know* they can dominate the game at will, physically. When they fail to embrace that, you become a name like 6'7" Kristian Kudroc who struck out with the Panthers.

[@MrErnieHanks]

UConn has another Tage Thompson currently. Matthew Wood who was drafted #15 by the Preds. Very similar player.

[@nickelliott1174]

I was sorry to see the Blues trade him because you could see the potential. But you have to give up something to get ROR and that led directly to the Blues winning the Stanley Cup. That's a win for both sides.

[@CarPig]

3:58 The Famous RTH “BUT!”

[@deliciouscheese4943]

RTH video on my bday so rad

[@Wizlo_OP]

Happy bday

[@RobTalksHockey]

Happy birthday buddy!

[@robertpaul6070]

Ty rob awesome video on our boy

[@korbendallas7181]

6:12 also able to use his hands in tight spaces because he uses a stick that goes up to his chest. Where normally a player would have their stick all the way up to the chin, he uses a much shorter stick

[@germanpancake88]

That man at the end of the video is Rob Ray (yes, that Rob Ray), who is 6'0. Unfortunately, the photo is altered, but it isnt often you see a man make Ray look small, so its nice to poke fun at him!

[@UnityOrbit]

Greenway barely ever uses his size, he is lazy. Granato has to get him to work hard somehow.

[@Igoruhandchu]

I didn’t like him much last year

[@JohnB-mo4kq]

Yup. He was great in MN, when he wanted to play...If the coaches we've had so far couldn't get him to produce, I highly doubt Granato will.

[@SonnyDlicious]

Rob, without a doubt, this is your best video yet 👍🏻😊

[@bonn1771]

Also switching is position helped too

[@puffyshirt8406]

Excellent analysis. Is that goldeneye back round music i hear...top notch!

[@HockeyMC5989]

Such a fun player to watch, how the sabres are good this season

[@Brendajanephillips514]

The habs are the first team tryin this out. slaf is a unicorn player. I'd say having similar playstyle to thompson so far. Slow start. But when that kid devellops. He very well could be thompson 2.0.

[@jansshonni]

Turn out be one of my favourite players to watch in nhl

[@thewizardofoz511]

Red Wings Elmer Soderblom is definitely on Tage Thompson watch!😮

[@chrispswann6825]

Funny how going back to the 2016 draft Jesse Puljujarvi and Olli Juolevi were top 5 picks

[@pattylonglegs3353]

Great fucking video Rob. Honestly.

[@t1n032]

Tage 🦄

[@kolasillers7776]

8:54- Rob, you know that's fake do you?😂😂

[@RobTalksHockey]

We do a little trolling

[@AceMatthew25414]

I believe Thompsons breakout season contributed to Slafkovsky going 1st overall at the opportunity to find a similar player.

[@Mulukkis]

Unfortunaley Tage along with the entire Sabres team slowed down in the later half of the season. He has the potential to score 50-60 goals if he has a more consistent season.

[@Matt-lj5nn]

007 music goes hard

[@nedlead85]

Yes agreed, I like what Arizona did this past draft taking the two big Russian's

[@setheubank314]

That 2-3 record is definitely scary😂 Buffalo is a draft lottery team, nothing more.

[@AKA_Keegs]

He also has very good hands at 6'6 because he uses a very very short stick

[@222vlogs]

Maybe you can make a video on coaches who got fired instantly after being hired, like Babcock?

[@OtterPlaysYT]

It's a great ti,keep to be a sabres fan

[@FCMC123]

Truth!

[@joshciviletti3032]

He was playing hurt for the last quarter of the season. Numbers should be higher if he stays healthy but at his size that might be a little hard.

[@elimhazard9938]

I doubt you know this but the person who took the injured player's spot was charlie mcavoy.

[@idarthcadeus]

From 2014 to 2020 he wasn't even average, let's be honest here. Two years ago he had a good but not fantastic year. Last year was his only really good year. Now it's a wait and see if he can keep producing at that pace he only did once.

[@billboggs6641]

Would love to see Patrick Kane go to Buffalo. Could get them into the playoffs

[@xs8002]

Let’s go Buffalo!!!

[@dave2sick]

Byfield will see this development curve too

[@medkitch]

I wish SJ could have drafted him...sigh another rough year ahead...

[@SethFinberg]

Everyone expects tall players to use their size/strength and not necessarily rely on their skill

[@Thejar87]

Is Adam fantilli going to play in the NHL this year?

[@danevertt3210]

No

[@joshtimm8688]

Yes, kid looked crazy in the prospect tournament, coming from a wings fan.

[@marchmaps]

Yep. He's looked like he's going to be the star everybody expects him to be in the rookie camp so far.

[@Stirthepotwithscott]

Comparing him to Mario is actually wild.... honestly disrespectful

[@RobTalksHockey]

Stylistically, absolutely. That’s not me saying he is Lemieux in terms of talent. There has never been big men like them with hands that silky.

[@Stirthepotwithscott]

@@RobTalksHockey that's fair I see where you are coming from tbh. Love the content! Keep it up!

[@bjornalm9950]

When you compare some of the unice skills of big skilled players I must agree.

[@Samsquamsh]

Hi Robert!

[@sairusivipond2824]

bro its the smaller stick

[@Lee-f9w5v]

I mean ROR helped STL win their cup but that turned out to be a huge deal in favor of BUF .

[@marchmaps]

ROR wasn't going to win a cup with the Sabres, and the Blues were not going to win a cup without ROR. No telling if Tage would've developed into a star with the Blues anyways. He might not have reached his potential. The deal worked out great for both teams, and both main pieces in the deal. The only losers were Berglund and Sobotka, really.

[@themorethemerrier281]

I hope Elmer Söderblom can become a similar player.

[@TrackerKid]

RTH uploaded. It is a good day now

[@WideTier]

25 teams passed on Tage for the exact same reason any team passes on any 18 year old kid: It’s impossible to project how an 18 year old kid will be playing 3 or more years down the line.

[@kotaromon3362]

Donny's meatballs are gonna make the playoffs.

[@brianjones7660]

that didnt age well....

[@TANNMAN54]

It was his size he doesn’t have the height to play in the nhl

[@HonkyTonkHellraiser]

Skating is the least important thing with everything else being equal

[@freiflug83]

8:01 Bro you're reaching. Sure he has a good chance of scoring 50, but 120 points I don't see happening

[@redlights1585]

He played almost all of the second half of the season through injuries and had 94 points.

[@HonkyTonkHellraiser]

Teams put too much emphasis on skating. Look at Brett Hull and Luke Robitaille. Neither good skaters but could score. Or Dave Andreychuk Hockey Hall of Famer

[@tommygoode9644]

Tage Thompson is decent that's for sure. It's as if he and Jeff Skinner's contract are exact opposites. You win championships with a couple of contacts like Tage's. Skinner contracts ruin Tage's contract to the point that it's stupid to think Tage will stick around on a loser when his is up in 2030. So to recap Buffalo now needs a couple of great contracts like Tage's to be a real contender. 🤔 They're going to have to really pour it on this season to even make the playoffs. But with this guy it's inevitable as long as he stays healthy. A championship though is far from guaranteed. The main problem Buffalo has is that it's in the Metro division. That's a tough division in the NHL.

[@danevertt3210]

Buffalo does have a few great contracts like Tage. Also, skinner is 9 million while scoring 80+ points……that’s pretty good

[@scottcoxworthy]

Buffalo is in the Atlantic division. That's even worse lol.

[@redlights1585]

When did my team move to the Metro?

[@tommygoode9644]

@@redlights1585 oh yeah they're in the northeast. My bad. Still tough division. Good luck.

[@tommygoode9644]

@@redlights1585 Atlantic division. Jeez I gotta study my divisions more.

[@DJVexillum]

8:53 Please tell me you're joking - that's Rob Ray, and an obvious photoshop...

[@RobTalksHockey]

I’m joking haha

[@Logan21_21]

First

[@mattwalter5121]

I am the Best Matt

[@Earthboundmike]

Uh. Ok. Have fun I guess this sounds like you liking the sound of your own voice. HE WAS A FIRST ROUND PICK.

[@annihilationHaven]

I think his mother and his girlfriend have more to do with his success than anything else. Sorry if you're not allowed to mention the obvious, I will mention it anyways.

[@danevertt3210]

What do you mean???

[@annihilationHaven]

@@danevertt3210 Skill doesn't develop without emotional and moral support. It's the same story with all of the top players.

[@DeadEditz9177]

Second

[@Gergentine]

Could only be compared to a prime mario Lemieux 🤣🤣🤣 bruv, I really love watching Thompson, he's a beast and i think one of the most underrated players in the league. But its methhead comments like this that keep you as a second teir hockey channel. And why i don't sub. I get to that point then wonder why i even watch your videos ever...

[@RobTalksHockey]

The way he plays is best compared stylistically to Lemieux. Am I saying he is Lemieux talent wise? No. But I’ll ask you this, who else would you compare Thompson to stylistically in hockey history?

[@Igoruhandchu]

@@RobTalksHockeyi get the Lemieux comparison and I get what your saying. Being a buffalo fan it has always made me uncomfortable 😂. I definitely get the Wheeler comparison a bit. I compare him to Rick Nash but a bit more skill.

[@AndrewTate-x9h]

I watched this guy play most of the season, and he so lazy AF. He gives up on the play too easy and too one dimensional. He doesn't even try to play defence. Picking him in the Pool was a fail move. If he wants to get better, he needs to do more, move that huge body around more. He can't go end-to-end worth crap! He is a good person to pass too, or make moves in the slot or powerplay. But besides spoonfeeding him all the goals, he can't do jack crap on his own. Reminds me of Patrick Laine.

[@gatesgates7788]

Jesus you couldn’t be further off. He’s a two way center and kills penalties for a reason. This is a franchise player

[@bryan3409]

In all fairness the Sabres were about to pass on him to until GASP they've moved him to center. Theres been a long running rumor that an Atlantic team (my feeling, was the Bruins) were offered him for basically leftover scraps and turned the trade down..That season he went on to score 40+.