The Buffalo Sabres $50 million gamble

They had to pay somebody, but the contract extension for Tage Thompson is a big risk.

The biggest bright spot for the Buffalo Sabres this season was the random breakout season of forward Tage Thompson that saw him score 38 goals and suddenly become a top-line producer. And when I say random, I mean RANDOM. Because nobody really saw this coming based on what he had done over the first part of his career.

On Tuesday, the Sabres rewarded that performance with a whopping seven-year contract extension that will pay him $50 million (well, $49.9 to be exact) starting with the 2023-24 season.

On one hand, the Sabres have to pay somebody to stay above the cap-floor in the future, and I give them credit for trying to lock in a player that they think can be a core player long-term.

But it is also a deal that carries a high risk of totally backfiring, mainly because we sill have no idea what sort of player Thompson is and will be in the future. Mostly because there are not really many comparable players that have followed his career path.