Tage Thompson

Logan Thompson features in the latest rinkside update as his team preps for action amid injury whispers. Goalie rotations and netminder health dominate coaching conversations this time of year. Thompson's status shapes lineup decisions with big games looming.

Logan Prud'homme towers at 6-foot-7 in the OHL, turning heads as a prime draft prospect with a game that screams NHL upside. He models his style after Buffalo's Tage Thompson, the big-bodied sniper who's redefined power forwards in this league. Scouts whisper he's got that rare blend of size and skill that GMs crave come June, and Prud'homme's already drawing comparisons that could land him high in the pecking order.

Peyton Krebs finally delivers the top-six spark Buffalo envisioned when they pried him loose in the Eichel deal, piling up six points in eight games including clutch goals against Seattle and the Islanders. The 25-year-old center slots in with Thompson and Tuch, bringing the relentless energy that Ruff calls a driver's edge while the Sabres hit 100 points and eye their first playoffs since 2011.

Peyton Krebs, the gritty forward Buffalo snagged in the Eichel deal years back, has locked down left wing on the top line with Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch over the past six weeks. Coaches love his compete level and defensive smarts, but his offensive black hole reputation surfaces in big spots, like that ugly loss to Columbus where the Sabres' streak snapped.

Nobody saw it coming when the Golden Knights canning former Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy, but Vegas pulls the trigger anyway with playoffs looming large. The team stumbles into third place in the Pacific after dropping six of seven, including that brutal Capitals collapse where Logan Thompson - a Cassidy castoff - stole the show in net. GM Kelly McCrimmon tips his cap to Cassidy's Cup-winning past but bets on fresh blood to salvage a roster built for banners, not also-rans.

Dylan Strome channels his inner clutch performer, ripping a tying goal fresh out of the box and then burying the shootout winner against his old buddy Adin Hill. Logan Thompson, facing his former Vegas squad for the fourth time this season, dishes a key scouting tip that turns the tide before slamming the door shut in the skills comp.