Tage Thompson spoke with the media last week, less than 24 hours after the Sabres acquired him in a trade with the St. Louis Blues. Ryan O'Reilly went to St. Louis in exchange for Thompson, fellow forwards Patrik Berglund and Vladimir Sobotka, a first-round pick in 2019 and a second-round pick in 2021.
Here's an excerpt from the story about Thompson's reaction to the trade:
Tage Thompson was sitting in his living room with his father, Brent, when he took a call from St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong on Sunday night. Armstrong informed Thompson that he had been traded to Buffalo, part of a package sent to the Sabres in exchange for forward Ryan O'Reilly.
Initially, Thompson was thrown off; recent conversations with his agent had suggested that his status in St. Louis was secure. But as he broke down the situation with his father, an NHL player himself for eight seasons and now a coach in the New York Islanders organization, the shock transformed into excitement.
"The more we sat and thought about it, we feel that it's a great fit for me," Thompson said Monday. "It's going to be exactly what I've been looking for as far as an opportunity to go in and play a lot and produce and help the team win. The organization believes the same things so it's nice to be on the same page."
How do the new additions impact the organizational depth chart? Brian Duff has you covered here with possible opening night rosters for both the Sabres and Amerks.
Also, no Sabres restricted free agents who were eligible elected salary arbitration.
