JUST IN: Sabres back up the Brinks truck for Tage Thompson

The Buffalo Sabres are counting on center Tage Thompson to be a major part of their rebuilding effort and their future, and they've made sure that he's going to stick around for the ride.

Earlier this evening, the two sides came to an agreement on a mammoth seven year contract extension worth $50 million; the deal carries an AAV of $7.1 million. 

Thompson, who has one year left on his current deal, led the Sabres in scoring last year with 38 goals and 30 assists in 78 games.

"Tage Thompson embodies the pride we expect from every player who wears the Buffalo Sabres sweater," Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams said. "His success last season is a testament to his unrelenting dedication to his craft and commitment to bettering the team both on and off the ice, which we believe will help us reach even greater heights moving forward."

"This is a place I want to be at for a very long time," Thompson said after the season. "I want to be a guy that helps this team win and make the playoffs and win a Stanley Cup, and obviously those are all just words and you've got to put that into action. 

"I'm excited to be a guy that's a Buffalo Sabre and I think we've got lot of guys in the room that feel the same way about our team as I do."

Thompson has scored a total of 56 goals with 47 assists in 223 career NHL games played. He was originally drafted by the St. Louis Blues in 2016, but sent to Buffalo as part of the deal that would land eventual 2019 Conn Smythe Trophy winner Ryan O'Reilly with the Blues.