Day 10 Notebook | Thompson set to enter season alongside Hall, Eichel

It appeared as though Tage Thompson could be in for a breakout season in 2019-20, before a shoulder injury brought his year to an abrupt halt.
Thompson entered last season having added a considerable amount of strength to his 6-foot-7 frame. He began the year in Rochester, tallying 12 points in 16 games before earning a recall to Buffalo. His injury occurred during the third period of his season debut with the Sabres.
Maybe, he says now, it was a blessing in disguise.

Thompson stuck around the team while he rehabbed from surgery, which allowed him to grow more comfortable with his teammates and more familiar with his surroundings. The time in Buffalo helped him add even more strength, a process that continued into the elongated offseason.
It has all paid off through two weeks of training camp. Thompson, still only 23, has been a standout through eight practices and two intrasquad scrimmages, earning a place on the top line alongside Taylor Hall and Jack Eichel.
"He's one of the bright lights of our training camp," Sabres coach Ralph Krueger said.

With Eichel absent during the first scrimmage last Monday, Thompson turned in a standout performance alongside Hall and Arttu Ruotsalainen. He used his body to drive to the net and win battles while also finding open ice to let go of his hard shot, resulting in a few near-goals off the posts.
Thompson was with both Hall and Eichel for the second scrimmage on Saturday, this time forcing a turnover in the neutral zone and heading to the slot where he buried a feed from Hall.
"The goal and the chance he had shortly thereafter [that] he had also in the slot show how lethal he is when he gets opportunity," Krueger said afterward. "One of the harder shots I've seen when he puts that body in behind it."

Hall spoke highly of Thompson's potential to play alongside top-line talent, saying it's simply a matter of the young winger wanting to use get to hard areas and use his shot.
"He's got a tremendous package of skills and size," Hall said. "You noticed it right off the bat the first day of camp. I was kind of taken aback. I didn't know who he was coming in here and what he was all about but when you see him shoot the puck and handle the puck and skate and move, you see why he was drafted in the first round and why they're so high on him here to play at a higher level."
With just one practice remaining before the Sabres open their season at home against the Washington Capitals, it seems Thompson will get his shot.
"I think my job is just to play my game," he said. "I think I bring a lot of size and speed and I've got a pretty good shot, so I think my offensive instincts are along the same lines as theirs in terms of where to go on the ice."

Tuesday's practice

Krueger said that forwards Curtis Lazar and Kyle Okposo are day-to-day. Lazar (lower body) missed his second straight practice while Okposo left the ice midway through the session.
The Sabres sent forwards Andrew Oglevie and Arttu Ruotsalainen and defensemen Jacob Bryson and Mattias Samuelsson to Rochester, whittling their practice group down to the 28 players who will comprise their active roster and taxi squad come opening night. That group includes 2020 first-round pick Jack Quinn.
Here's how the team lined up for practice.
4 Taylor Hall - 9 Jack Eichel - 72 Tage Thompson
68 Victor Olofsson - 12 Eric Staal - 23 Sam Reinhart
53 Jeff Skinner - 38 Riley Sheahan - 42 Dylan Cozens
13 Tobias Rieder - 20 Cody Eakin - 21 Kyle Okposo
37 Casey Mittelstadt - 74 Rasmus Asplund - 22 Jack Quinn
19 Jake McCabe - 55 Rasmus Ristolainen
26 Rasmus Dahlin - 62 Brandon Montour
33 Colin Miller - 10 Henri Jokiharju
44 Matt Irwin - 3 Will Borgen
88 Brandon Davidson
35 Linus Ullmark
40 Carter Hutton
34 Jonas Johansson