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Loading…A 92.7 overall puts Thompson 11th among 195 rated centers, comfortably in the league's top quarter at the position. That makes him the 2nd-highest-rated player on the Buffalo Sabres roster.
The standout tool is offensive creation (97), backed by finishing (97); defensive impact (47) is the part of his game that grades lowest.
Over 8 rated seasons since 2017-18 he has averaged 70.6, peaking at 95.6 in 2024-25; last season's 93.3 was down 2.3 points.
At $7.14M through 2029-30 before unrestricted free agency, the model rates the deal Underpaid: his expected value is $13.1M, so the Buffalo Sabres save roughly $5.93M a season against his production.
His cap hit is the 5th-largest on the Buffalo Sabres NHL roster and uses 6.9% of the $104M ceiling; the club currently has $2.43M in cap space.
| Component | Rating (0-100) |
|---|---|
| Offense | 97 |
| Defense | 47 |
| Play driving | 82 |
| Finishing | 97 |
| Power play | 66 |
| Season | Team | GP | Overall | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | BUF | 81 | 93.3 | 1.6 |
| 2024-25 | BUF | 76 | 95.6 | 2.1 |
| 2023-24 | BUF | 71 | 88.9 | 1.2 |
| 2022-23 | BUF | 78 | 94.5 | 2.1 |
| 2021-22 | BUF | 78 | 88.3 | 1.5 |
| 2020-21 | BUF | 38 | 54.6 | 0.1 |
| 2018-19 | BUF | 65 | 27.6 | -0.4 |
| 2017-18 | STL | 41 | 22.2 | -0.4 |
Other BUF centers by rating: Noah Ostlund (63.5), Jiri Kulich (52.4), Josh Norris (52.1), Ryan McLeod (42.9). See the full Buffalo Sabres cap sheet.
How we rate players: each skater's overall is a percentile (0-100) built from offense, defense, play driving, finishing, power-play and penalty-kill impact against players at the same position; goalies are rated on goals saved above expected. Contract value compares the cap hit with the salary the model expects for that level of production, age and position. Figures are updated as new games and signings arrive.