Season at a glance
Shortly before the midseason point, a lingering injury prompted Lindy Ruff to move Thompson from center to right wing. The position change, Buffalo’s coach predicted, would unburden Thompson of some defensive responsibilities and raise his ceiling offensively.
Point, Ruff. From Jan. 20-on, nobody in the league scored more goals than Thompson (25). That scorching 36-game stretch included two hat tricks, three two-goal games and, in early April, eight goals during the Sabres’ five-game winning streak. At season’s end, his 44 goals were tied with Alex Ovechkin for third most in the NHL.
A 6-foot-6 frame, ample skating speed and hockey's hardest shot make Thompson one of the game's elite scorers, and he ranks 10th in the league with 120 total tallies across the last three seasons.
Thompson’s success on the wing required help, and rookie Jiri Kulich provided it in his emergence as a capable first-line center. With those two skating together at 5-on-5, Buffalo outscored its opponents 28-19. Zach Benson, a "rat on the ice" in Thompson's words, joined them for the last chunk of the season and did the dirty work to create space and scoring chances for No. 72.
In his first year as an alternate captain, the 27-year-old offered more than just goals and points. Thompson grew as a vocal leader, held his teammates – and himself – accountable for their mistakes and implored the group to, despite being eliminated from playoff contention, use the last stretch of the schedule to build winning habits for next season. That they did, going 12-7-1 in the last 20 games.
