Sabres Hurting Themselves By Keeping Tage Thompson

If the inevitable happens, the Buffalo Sabres can't keep hurting their franchise and wait to move Tage Thompson.

Oct 30, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Buffalo Sabres center Tage Thompson (72) skates during warmups prior to a game against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images | Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

The Buffalo Sabres have done this song and dance before. Since 2011, actually, they've been stuck in a Groundhog Day-like cycle of early optimism quickly fading into a season of misery. Through the early portion of the season, the team has already dropped to the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, desperately trying to climb out before the cycle inevitably repeats.

A recent RG report shared that teams are again inquiring about Sabres scorer Tage Thompson, but the response to everyone right now is that the star forward is not available.

That decision is only hurting their organization as they continue to spin around and around in mediocrity. While the Sabres understandably want to avoid panicking and calling it quits, this team isn't doing themselves any favors by keeping their best trade asset around for the rest of the season.

Buy Low, Sell High

Thompson is in his prime in the NHL and has well established himself as a top-tier scoring forward. The 28-year-old has reached at least 29 goals in each of the last four seasons, surpassed 35 goals three times, and has two 40+ goal campaigns over that span.

He's also proved to be durable in that time. The 6'6" forward has played in at least 70 regular season games since the 2021-2022 campaign.

His value is at his highest. Another team could come trade for a consistently productive and dangerous player who is under contract until he's 32 years old. What team with a desire to win wouldn't be calling the Sabres for Thompson?

That means the Sabres have some leverage, and the trade market will only open up further as the season progresses. Top talents like JT Miller and Mikko Rantanen were traded last season, commanding huge returns for their previous franchises, and the Sabres could easily capitalize on a similar return that could jumpstart a serious and legitimate push toward contention.

Nov 1, 2025; Buffalo, New York, USA; Buffalo Sabres center Tage Thompson (72) looks to make a pass during the third period against the Washington Capitals at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images | Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images

Trade Clause at Their Advantage

The Sabres also have a key advantage in their dealing with Thompson, one that could help them net a maximum return if they play things right. Thompson's current contract, which runs through the 2029-2030 season, has a modified no-trade clause that kicks in this season.

That usually spells trouble for a team looking to trade away a player, but for Buffalo, it shouldn't be a hindrance at all. The clause is a five-team no-trade list that Thompson submits to the Sabres, according to PuckPedia, meaning there are 26 other franchises they could do business with in a potential trade.

That clause expires when the contract does.

The Sabres have time to work something out, and if they can turn their game around, it eliminates the need to trade Thompson altogether. But if the inevitable happens, the Sabres can't keep hurting their franchise and wait to move their star forward.

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