(Buffalo) Tage Thompson capitalized on his career-best season to sign a lucrative, $50 million seven-year contract extension on Tuesday.
Posted at 9:16 p.m.
The Buffalo Sabers center will get a significant pay raise from his three-year deal, worth a total of $4.2 million, which ends this season.
This new agreement is a testament to the confidence the Sabers have in the 24-year-old, who just wrapped up a 38-goal season. He was the team leader in that regard.
The six-foot-seven giant had 68 points in 78 games last season and nearly doubled his point total in his first four NHL seasons.
Thompson, a 2016 first-round pick by the St. Louis Blues, was traded to the Sabers in a trade that sent Ryan O’Reilly to St. Louis in July 2018.
Thompson is an important part of the Sabres, which are still rebuilding. The Sabers were competitive towards the end of last season, despite missing the playoffs for 11e consecutive year, an NHL record.
The team’s core of rising stars includes defensemen Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power, both of whom were drafted first overall, as well as forwards Dylan Cozens, Alex Tuch and Peyton Krebs.