Sabres' Top Stars Not Viewed as Among NHL's Bests
TSN does not view the Sabres' best players as among the top 25 players in the NHL.
© Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports - Sabres' Top Stars Not Viewed as Among NHL's BestsWe are now at the All-Star break, which means that we are officially at the halfway point of the 2023-24 season. As a result of this, TSN recently released their Top 25 NHL Players Rankings for the campaign.
Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon secured the top spot, while fellow superstars Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers), Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay Lightning), Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs), and Cale Makar (Avalanche) followed. However, neither of the Sabres' top stars, Rasmus Dahlin and Tage Thompson, made the cut.
Dahlin, 23, is having a solid season offensively, as he has 13 goals to go along with 38 points in 48 games. While his pace of production is lower than last season (73 points in 78 games), he is still one of the NHL's most impactful offensive defensemen, as he is eighth in points among players at his position.
Thompson, 26, has taken a bit of a step back this season offensively. After scoring 47 goals and posting 94 points in 78 games last season, the hope was that he would continue to be a dominant force for the Sabres. Yet, in 39 games this season, he has just 14 goals and 28 points.
At the end of the day, it is understandable that neither Dahlin nor Thompson made TSN's list, with it being based on their play this season. Dahlin has been good offensively, but the last defenseman on the list at the No. 23 spot, Victor Hedman, has nine goals and 50 points in 48 games. Meanwhile, Thompson is far away from being a point-per-game player at this stage of the year.