Buffalo Sabres’ Tage Thompson leaves game with upper-body injury

Buffalo Sabres forward Tage Thompson exited Wednesday night’s game versus the Carolina Hurricanes with an upper-body injury. 

Thompson left the second period in what seemed to be significant discomfort. He was not on the bench to start the third period and was ruled out of the game shortly after. Thompson logged 11:16 of ice time and he had one block and two penalty minutes. This season, he has registered 34 goals and 34 assists for 68 points in 49 games. He sits tied for fourth league-wide in the goals department alongside Colorado Avalanche’s Mikko Rantanen and only seven goals behind Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid for the league lead. 

Thompson was selected to play at the 2023 NHL All-Star Game in Sunrise, Florida on Saturday. However, that will be something to keep an eye on – whether he is replaced. The Phoenix, Arizona native is set to become one of three Arizona-born skaters to participate in the 2023 NHL All-Star Weekend. Last season, Thompson emerged from the shadows and notched 38 goals and 68 points in 78 games. His remarkable season earned him a major contract extension and in August of 2022, Sabres’ general manager Kevyn Adams signed Thompson to a monstrous seven-year $50 million contract; the contract has an average annual value (AAV) of $7.14 million beginning in 2023-24. 

Originally drafted by the St. Louis Blues in the first round of the 2016 Draft, Thompson was dealt to the Sabres as part of the 2018 Ryan O’Reilly blockbuster. Throughout his six-year National Hockey League career, Thompson has tallied 90 goals, and 81 assists for 171 points in 272 games.