Many public scouting reports said that Thompson had the potential to become a top-six player in the vein of Jamie Benn. Defensively, everyone seemed to agree he struggled. But not only has that improved with NHL coaches, he isn’t out there to shut guys down, anyways. He’s got the scoring part figured out, and that’s what he’s paid to do.

Here are a few more: Jeff Cox, a USHL assistant GM and a staple of the amateur hockey scene, called Thompson’s ceiling “extremely high” ahead of the 2016 draft. Sportsnet’s Gare Joyce took the more cautious approach, saying scouts had “mixed feelings” regarding Thompson’s transition to the next level.

Those mixed feelings can be attributed to the obvious: was he going to bring more than size to the table? His skating was excellent, and he could definitely shoot, but outskating college players is a whole different animal. But his size definitely gave him more looks than others with similar skillsets, but I still don’t think anyone

Just talking to scouts that followed that 2016 draft, many had high hopes in Thompson. Some even used the word “future star” when describing their thoughts on him from back in the day. Is there a bit of revisionist history? Maybe, but there were high hopes for him when he came into the league after just two college seasons, only for him to fall flat. His NHL future looked uncertain, and when he was moved to Buffalo in a trade that sent Ryan O’Reilly to the Blues in 2018, Thompson’s inclusion almost felt like an afterthought.

The consensus? The star qualities were there, but scouts were cautious. He’s a unique figure. We haven’t seen a big man dominate like this since, maybe, Eric Lindros in his prime? You don’t see human iterations of the Empire State Building turning into skilled scoring stars all too often. It seemed like some scouts wanted to go all-in, but the precedent just wasn’t there. But now Thompson is carving his own path, and he’s one of the best players in the world right now.

There’s only so much you can watch and evaluate of a 17/18-year-old prospect before they get drafted. You’re looking at projectables – someone can dominate against kids, but what translates to the NHL? If they’re a scorer, and they’re not in a scoring role, do they bring something else to the table? Again, hindsight, 20/20, yadda yadda, but Thompson is nailing all the boxes right now.

And while nobody likely expected Thompson to be THIS good, there were quite a few believers. And now he’s shining bright.

Tradition went out the window long ago: it’s time for the NHL to institute pond hockey in overtime.

That’s right. No blue line. No center red line. No offside rule. No icing. Just drop the puck and let the best players in the world take over.

Now, I want to be clear on something before people start to freak out. There still needs to be officials. I’m not advocating for utter lawlessness. I think the referees should be able to assess penalties if necessary.

But I’m over trying to police the game when there are only six skaters and two goaltenders on the ice. Why bother with lines? Why does the offside rule even exist when the whole point of overtime is to determine a winner?

Don’t get me wrong. I’ve come to enjoy the shootout. It’s a novelty reserved for the regular season. And I loved the challenge of it when I was playing.

But I think the shootout should be the absolute last resort when it comes to finishing a hockey game. And I’m willing to take things to the extreme.

If the NHL were to open up the entire ice, I guarantee more games would finish with a hockey play. Isn’t that what most fans want anyway? I sure do. And I know countless former alumni feel the same way.

So why do we cling so hard to tradition? The NHL has already gone to three-versus-three in overtime. Why is taking away the lines a step too far?

I don’t think it is. But plenty of people seem to disagree.