Robert Thomas was the unquestioned best available player at this year’s NHL trade deadline, yet like most of the big names with term remaining on their contracts, the star center stayed put—pushing these conversations to the summer.
St. Louis doesn’t have to trade Thomas by any means, though a recent report from TSN insider Pierre LeBrun suggests the Blues will, in fact, continue to field offers, with the likelihood that a deal does get done this time around. He then went on to list a number of potential landing spots, which included the Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, Montreal Canadiens, and Utah Mammoth.
“The Buffalo Sabres and Utah Mammoth may circle back, but the playoffs also have a way of bringing other teams into the fold. Do the Detroit Red Wings feel they need to take a run at Thomas depending on how the playoffs go? The Montreal Canadiens? Boston Bruins? Los Angeles Kings? There are lots of possibilities there, and I think Thomas most likely gets moved this summer,”
The 26-year-old Thomas is in year three of the eight-year, $65 million extension he signed with the Blues back in 2022. He’s up to 42 points (15 goals, 27 assists) across 47 games played this season.
We, of course, know that Buffalo gained traction on a deal with St. Louis a few days before the deadline to no avail, while Utah was also very interested. Those two will surely remain in the mix, though Boston and Montreal could just as easily make a case to be frontrunners given their cap space, assets, and need for a center—particularly in the Bruins’ case.
Detroit and Los Angeles, along with several other teams for that matter, can’t be counted out either. That being said, the three Atlantic Division rivals in the Sabres, Canadiens, and Bruins—along with the always aggressive Mammoth—feel like the four to watch for heading into the summertime.
Next: William Nylander Hinting He Isn’t In for a Lengthy Retool with the Maple Leafs?
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