Breaking:Tage Thompson fianlly admit but also has this to say

The 2023-2024 season was tough for Tage Thompson, who’s looking to bounce back after posting his lowest point total since breaking out from a 14-point 2020-2021 season. The 6’6″ Buffalo Sabres center is as skilled of a player as you’ll find in the NHL, suggesting that last season was a fluke by eye-test standards. The question is whether the numbers support the idea that Thompson can return to the player the Sabres have come to expect.

Thompson managed 29 goals and 56 points in 71 games in an injury-riddled season. That’s 0.79 points per game and a fraction of his 94-point total from 2022-2023. Even before missing games due to injury, Buffalo’s top center started slow. He had 12 points in his first 16 games, 0.75 points per game.

Thompson then missed nine games after an early exit in a game against the Boston Bruins on November 14th, 2023. His scoring pace fell again after returning in December, managing only 0.7 points per game over the next 10. It’s a far cry from the well-over-point-per-game pace we’re accustomed to seeing from him, as he was continually hampered by the upper-body injury

Then came a mysterious personal leave of absence announced right before the December 27th matchup against the Bruins, but Thompson returned to the team by the next game. His minutes were limited in two games in January due to an undisclosed injury, but his play started to pick up. He had eight points in six games following his absence, before falling off again with only one point in his next seven.

Tage Thompson would eventually run into another upper-body injury in March that sat him out one game, but as his earlier injury battles faded, his play improved. He averaged 1.05 points per game over his last 20, which equates to an 86-point pace over 82 games.

Part of the equation affecting Thompson was the addition of JJ Peterka to the top line. Peterka’s stock rose at left wing throughout the season as Jeff Skinner’s dropped. He joined Thompson and Alex Tuch to form a prolific scoring trio on March 21st, giving a 12-game, end-of-season audition for what could be next season’s top line.