The Buffalo Sabres have already tipped their hand on one of the biggest questions hanging over camp: Tage Thompson is going to open at center. That decision came straight from Lindy Ruff, who said he likes to have a plan in place before the skates start, even if that plan can shift once camp gets rolling.
“You always plot it out,” Ruff said. “Does it change during camp? It possibly will, but we would like to start [Thompson] at center.”
That doesn’t lock Thompson into the middle full time. Ruff made it clear the Sabres can still move him to wing when needed, even during games. But for now, the first look will come with Thompson down the middle, which fits into the flexibility Ruff sees as a real strength on this roster.
Buffalo has plenty of options to mix and match. Thompson, Noah Ostlund, Konsta Helenius, Peyton Krebs and Jiri Kulich can all handle center or wing duties. Add in Josh Norris, Ryan McLeod and Sam Carrick, all of whom have plenty of experience in the middle, and the Sabres have no shortage of ways to build their lineup.
The immediate ripple effect is obvious: who gets to skate with Thompson? With Alex Tuch gone, the Sabres need to find new answers on the wings, and the best guess right now is Zach Benson and Josh Doan. If that’s the combination, then Buffalo would likely slot Josh Norris at second-line center and Ryan McLeod on the third line.
That setup would also open more wing opportunities for the younger players, giving Ostlund, Helenius, Quinn and Kulich chances to work on the outside in those top-nine spots.
It’s one of the first major calls of camp, and it’s bound to draw attention depending on how the season unfolds. Thompson looked a little gassed in the playoffs, and the demands of playing center are heavier, since the job asks for that full-ice workload every shift.
Before Ruff spoke, general manager Jarmo Kekalainen also addressed what playing center means for Thompson. “I think he had a lot of success and the team had a lot of success when he played center.
He's obviously a play driver that can really drive our offense but it's also a demanding job playing center and he's a big man. So it takes a lot more energy to play center with the minutes that he gets every game.”
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