This afternoon, it was announced that Buffalo Sabres winger, Tage Thompson would miss the remainder of the season (5-6 months) as he recovers from shoulder surgery. In his first taste of NHL action this season, he skated for less than seven minutes before suffering what was then referred to as an “upper-body injury” against the Chicago Blackhawks on November 17.
The initial recovery window was reported to be 3-5 weeks, so this news came as a shock to many. Before his call-up, Thompson was playing quite well for the Rochester Amerks, posting 12 points in 16 games. As one of the key pieces coming back in the Ryan O’Reilly trade, this news is certainly disheartening in what was supposed to be a key development year for the 22-year-old.
After struggling at the NHL level for a majority of the 2018-19 campaign (12 points in 65 games), hope surrounding his prospects as an NHL contributor were reignited as he packed on some weight this offseason and experienced early success in the AHL. Hopefully his recovery is swift and without lingering effects. The Sabres are very thin at forward throughout the organization and his future success is an important piece of the puzzle.