Robert Thomas isn't going anywhere. The Blues center is reportedly focused on staying in St. Louis after last season's trade chatter.
That's a notable shift from a year ago, when Thomas's name kept surfacing in trade speculation around the league.
Per Daily Faceoff, citing Jeremy Rutherford, Thomas has had positive conversations with Alexander Steen about his future with the organization.
Robert Thomas doesn't seem to be going anywhere.
After trade rumors swirled last season, Thomas is reportedly focused on staying with the Blues following positive talks with Alexander Steen, per Jeremy Rutherford.
The numbers back up why St. Louis wants him around. Thomas finished the season with 64 points in 64 games, including 25 goals.
He was rolling late too. Over his last 10 games, Thomas posted 16 points, nine of them goals, well above his season pace.
His last five games alone produced seven points. That's a top-six center hitting his stride at exactly the wrong time to be shopping him around.
Thomas carries a cap hit of $8,125,000, a number that matters when you're talking about long-term fit on a team still finding its identity under Jim Montgomery.
Blues lean on their $8.1 million core piece
Because here's the context nobody should skip. St. Louis finished 37-33-12 for 86 points, sitting 23rd in the league with a minus-27 goal differential.
That's not a contender's record. But it is a team that closed strong, winning four straight to end the year.
Trading Thomas would have blown that up. Keeping him signals the Blues still believe the core can get back to where it used to be.
Is it the right call? Given his production and his role in that room, yes. Moving a point-per-game center at a discount rarely ages well for the team that sells.
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Now the question shifts. Does St. Louis build around Thomas with real additions this summer, or does another slow start reopen the same trade conversation next winter?
Should the Blues have shopped Robert Thomas at the deadline instead of keeping him?
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