Morning Notes: Thomas, Blue Jackets, Belchetz
The Philadelphia Flyers are highly unlikely to be the landing spot for St. Louis Blues star center Robert Thomas if he is traded before the deadline, The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz reported today. A Flyers team source told Kurz that the team considers a trade for Thomas “completely unreasonable,” and with that feeling likely a result of the high price the Blues have set for teams interested in Thomas. According to Kurz, the Flyers “would probably have to be willing to part with” one of their two young wingers with star potential (Matvei Michkov, Porter Martone) as well as a first-round pick and another young roster player. Despite a pressing organizational need for a top-line center, the Flyers, per this report, believe the Blues’ asking price to simply be too steep for them to get involved in trade talks for Thomas.
Of course, value is in the eye of the beholder. From the Blues’ perspective, they’re likely to believe their high asking price for Thomas to be entirely fair. To an extent, it’s easy to see why. Thomas is an established No. 1 center who scored 81 points in 70 games last season, a 95-point 82-game scoring pace. While his production is down this year, the Blues’ struggles as a team this season make it difficult to pin Thomas’ decline entirely on some lasting decrease in his talent level. Thomas is 26 years old and has five additional seasons on a $8.125MM AAV contract. His below-market cap hit presents a serious opportunity for a team to get surplus value from him, especially as the upper limit rises.
There’s an argument to be made that, combining his talent and contract status, Thomas is one of the more valuable players to have been shopped on the in-season trade market in some time, so it’s understandable that the Blues would want to fetch a high price for the player. Value is all about leverage, after all, and the fact that the Blues can simply retain Thomas for the next half-decade gives them considerable leverage in comparison to a team shopping a rental player. But in any case, the Flyers have to move forward with the path they feel is best for them – and if they deem the Blues’ asking price too high, that is their right. Their search for a first-line center may yet continue in the 2026 draft, or perhaps within the continued development of recent first-rounders Jett Luchanko and Jack Nesbitt.
Other notes from around the hockey world:
- Insider Frank Seravalli reported this morning that the Blue Jackets continue to receive trade inquiries centered around pending UFA forwards Charlie Coyle and Mason Marchment, though to this point, that trade interest has been turned away. Both players have been stellar since being traded to the Blue Jackets, with Marchment scoring 10 goals and 17 points in 18 games, and Coyle nabbing 16 goals and 46 points in 60 games. The Blue Jackets traded second and fourth-round picks for Marchment earlier this season, but could receive more than they invested given the player’s uptick in form since arriving in Ohio. They traded quality prospect Gavin Brindley alongside second and third-round picks for Coyle this past summer, but could receive similar, if not increased, value in return before the deadline. The issue with trading either player would be that it would signal a retreat on their playoff chase for the rest of the season. Columbus sits three points behind the Boston Bruins for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, and has gone 13-2-1 since hiring Rick Bowness as their head coach.
- Top 2026 NHL Draft prospect Ethan Belchetz will miss the rest of the season after suffering a broken left clavicle, per an announcement from his team, the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL. Belchetz was the No. 1 overall pick of the 2024 OHL Priority Selection, and will finish his season with 34 goals and 59 points in 57 games. The 17-year-old stands 6’5″, 226 pounds, and projects as the kind of power forward who blends physicality and scoring ability that NHL teams covet. He has been ranked around the back-end of the top-10 in this year’s class, but it remains to be seen how his draft stock might change despite playing his final game before the draft.
Sabres, Blues Shifting Trade Talks To Justin Faulk, Colton Parayko
The Sabres made a big push yesterday to put themselves at the forefront to land top center Robert Thomas from the Blues. It appears whatever they put forth was a best-and-final offer and may not be enough to pry him away. Darren Dreger of TSN followed up this morning on yesterday’s report, saying that talks between Buffalo and St. Louis on Thomas “went the distance” but that it “sounds like the Sabres aren’t willing to part with the necessary pieces.”
That doesn’t mean talks between the two parties have ceased, though. Instead, they’ve transitioned to helping Buffalo address its paucity of right-shot defenders, with the team now expressing interest in Justin Faulk or Colton Parayko.
Faulk is viewed as the likelier of the two to move, presumably because of a slightly lower price tag. He’s been especially hot as of late, with five assists in his last five games, and is one of four Blues skaters to appear in all 60 games so far this season.
Alongside that durability, the soon-to-be 34-year-old has had an impressive year on both sides of the puck. Easily the brightest spot on their blue line, his 11-21–32 scoring line leads St. Louis D-men and is fourth on the team overall. He’s doing that while ranking second on the Blues in blocked shots with 101 behind Parayko’s 148. While his 47.5% Corsi For share at 5-on-5 isn’t all too impressive, the Blues have an even goal differential with him on the ice at 5-on-5. For how much he plays, averaging 22:30 per game in all situations, his -3 rating becomes a strong one on a team with a -52 goal differential.
Buffalo’s entire top four of Rasmus Dahlin, Bowen Byram, Owen Power, and Mattias Samuelsson are lefties. Dahlin and Samuelsson have simply played too well together this season to break up, but it’s clear general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen is eyeing a name to plug into the second pairing alongside Byram or Power while bumping the other down to a third-pairing spot at even strength, giving them left-side depth last rivaled by the Lightning’s three-headed monster of Victor Hedman, Ryan McDonagh, and Mikhail Sergachev during their Stanley Cup runs at the beginning of the decade.
Faulk and Parayko carry the same cap impact at $6.5MM. The former is easier to acquire, though not just because his somewhat weaker defensive reputation contributes to a lower price tag, but also because of his contract. He’s only signed through next season and has a 15-team no-trade list. Parayko, one year younger, is under contract through the 2029-30 season and, like Thomas, has a full no-trade clause that gives the Blues less maneuverability. With so much time left on his contract, the Blues are also in less of a rush to move him and squeeze value out of his deal.
Parayko, long regarded as a top-five shutdown defender in the league, has sat out of the Blues’ last two games due to back spasms. He’s also having quite a difficult season, amid being a virtual non-factor for Team Canada at the Olympics. His 14 points in 58 games are on pace for the worst offensive output of his 11-year career. His 44.9% Corsi For share at 5-on-5 ranks last among Blues defenders, and they’re getting outscored 54-38 with him on the ice at even strength.
At age 32, there’s likely some trepidation about committing for the rest of the decade if this season is more than just a flash in the pan. Faulk, whose contractual situation lies more in line with other targets Buffalo has expressed interest in, like Rasmus Ristolainen, is the more plausible outcome if the Sabres and Blues to manage to connect on a deal before Friday afternoon.
Sabres Making Aggressive Push For Robert Thomas
The Sabres are a late but aggressive entrant in talks to acquire center Robert Thomas from the Blues, reports Darren Dreger of TSN. Their offer contains multiple first-round picks or equivalent pieces, Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic relays. However, talks haven’t progressed far enough yet for the Blues to ask Thomas to waive his no-trade clause, per Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic.
Thomas is the best player still available at the deadline, both in terms of short-term and long-term impact. It was viewed as pure speculation by many that he’d actually be made available amid St. Louis’ retool, but the Blues have evidently received multiple offers strong enough to their liking in recent days to seriously consider pulling the trigger on a move. The Mammoth is the other club that’s been consistently tied to Thomas over the past week.
Even amid something of a down season for Thomas, it’s hard to imagine his trade value has taken much of a hit. He’s still put up 12 goals and 35 points in 42 games. That’s similar on a per-game basis to what other top options Nazem Kadri and Vincent Trocheck have done this season, but Thomas is significantly younger and has consistently been one of the league’s assist leaders for several years now.
The 26-year-old is in year three of eight on his contract, which carries a fair-value cap hit at worst of $8.125MM. He had full trade protection kick in this season – the first year he was eligible to receive it – so all of this hinges on Thomas greenlighting a move to the Sabres, who currently have an 88.6% chance of ending their playoff drought at 14 seasons, per MoneyPuck.
Buffalo doesn’t have any additional first-rounders past their own, but they do have a plethora of recent first-round draft choices to leverage in trade talks. Among forwards alone who are still on entry-level deals, there’s Zach Benson, Jiri Kulich, Noah Ostlund, Isak Rosen, and Konsta Helenius. Helenius, the 14th overall pick in 2024, has shown enough at the AHL level already to paint himself as a potential long-term replacement for Thomas as St. Louis’ first-line center. Whether the Sabres would be willing to leverage either Bowen Byram or Owen Power from their long list of top-four-capable left-shot defenders remains to be seen, but that shouldn’t be ruled out either if they’re looking to keep cap space open for looming extensions for Benson and Alex Tuch.
Blues Activate Robert Thomas, Expected To Waive Robby Fabbri
3/1: As expected, Thomas has been activated from injured reserve ahead of Saturday’s game against New Jersey. He had been on injured reserve with an injury sustained in January and took a personal leave of absence following the Olympic break.
In a corresponding move, St. Louis has designated Robby Fabbri to the non-roster list, implying that he will likely be placed on waivers before Saturday’s game per AP News’ Stephen Whyno. Fabbri signed an in-season contract with St. Louis after beginning the year with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers. He has four points, 12 penalty minutes, and a minus-three in 15 games with the Blues.
2/25: The St. Louis Blues will be without their leading scorer and top center as they return from the Olympic break. The team announced that Robert Thomas will be taking a personal leave of absence until Friday of this week. He will miss Thursday’s game against the Seattle Kraken but should be back with the team beforf Saturday’s game against the New Jersey Devils.
Thomas’ role in the Blues lineup can’t be understated. He has been a pillar of the Blues offense, averaging the most ice time (19 minutes) and scoring the most points (33) among St. Louis forwards through 42 games this season. Thomas entered this season on the heels of two career-years, marked by 60 assists in both seasons, to go with 86 points and 81 points respectively. He has been St. Louis’ main playmaker since the departure of Ryan O’Reilly and leaves a major hole to be filled for next game.
Thomas sat out of four games in late October and missed an additional 11 games after sustaining a lower-body injury on January 10th. St. Louis leaned heavily on Pavel Buchnevich in response, placing the veteran Russian winger into Thomas’ role atop the powerplay and penalty-killing units. Buchnevich also moved into the team’s top-center role, though he has struggled on faceoffs, with a 39.8 faceoff percentage this season. The Blues could look to Slovakian Olympian Dalibor Dvorsky to take center duties off of Buchnevich’s hands in the short-term, or could task Brayden Schenn and Jimmy Snuggerud with platooning in the role form their spots on the second-line. No approach will be perfect as St. Louis looks to replace their star in an important, Western Conference matchup.
Mammoth Have Shown Interest In Robert Thomas
The Mammoth are among the teams that have shown interest in Robert Thomas, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said on the network’s “Saturday Headlines” segment. No matter what they put forth, they’d remain one of the longer shots to land the two-time 80-point scorer if he’s moved at all. Intra-division trades involving players of his caliber are exceedingly rare.
Utah is looking into long-term moves, not the rental market, in order to help secure the franchise’s first trip to the postseason since being born from the ashes of the Coyotes, general manager Bill Armstrong told NHL.com’s Mike Zeisberger this week. Thomas would be among the most impactful moves they can make. They’ve already been linked to puck-moving rearguard Dougie Hamilton in their pursuit of added offense, but adding a player of Thomas’ age and cost control is a much higher-caliber addition.
Thomas has 11 goals and 33 points in 42 games this season for St. Louis. The 26-year-old’s underlying offensive numbers have tanked, averaging 1.43 shots on goal and 2.88 shot attempts per game compared to 2.07 and 4.40 last season, respectively. That should be easily attributable to Thomas fighting through a number of injuries this season while being symptomatic of a larger offensive regression in St. Louis, where the Blues are near the bottom of the league in virtually every category.
The fact stands that over the past five years, Thomas has established himself as one of the league’s top playmaking centers. He’s averaged 60 assists and 83 points per 82 games over that span, with his 1.01 points per game ranking 23rd in the league since 2021-22 (min. 300 games played). Among players on the Mammoth’s roster, only Clayton Keller stands above him, and only narrowly.
Thomas also has five years left on his contract at a stomachable $8.125MM cap hit. He has a full no-trade clause and controls his destiny. The Blues have made it clear they’re not overly willing to dump him as part of their retooling, but will listen to offers. They’re reportedly looking for a template similar to what the Canucks acquired for franchise defender Quinn Hughes earlier this season – a package roughly equivalent to four first-round picks.
While the Blues surely won’t be excited about the prospect of moving Thomas in the division, few teams are as well-equipped to put forth a compelling offer as the Mammoth. They still have all of their firsts in the next few drafts and have a rich staple of first-round drafted prospects over the past few years to part with. 2023 selections Danil But and Dmitriy Simashev have made their debuts this season, while they’d have to consider making 2024 #6 pick Tij Iginla and 2025 #4 pick Caleb Desnoyers available as well.
Central Notes: McKenna, Thomas, Sundqvist
It’s been a whirlwind few weeks for top 2026 draft prospect Gavin McKenna. He began the month with some legal trouble as he was arrested, but later returned to the ice and scored eight points in a single game against Ohio State. McKenna’s season has been subject to quite a bit of conversation, with many speculating that the Canadian winger, who had long been considered this year’s top draft prospect, might be losing his grip on his status as the presumptive No. 1 overall pick. It’s unclear how the events of the past month – both the legal issue and the uptick in production – will impact McKenna’s draft stock, but at least one team appears to now hold an improved view of the player. Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reported today that the Chicago Blackhawks “have noticed McKenna improving his all-around game,” and that “they were skeptical about him earlier this season,” but “that’s no longer the case.”
In addition, Pope reports that McKenna’s “felony charge is unlikely to affect his NHL draft stock now that it has been dropped.” Whether the Blackhawks will be in a position to draft McKenna is, of course, not clear at this time. They are No. 27 in the league standings, and would likely need some lottery luck to have a shot at McKenna. Regarding other options for their top draft choice, Pope noted that the Blackhawks “have also long been interested in Canadian center Tynan Lawrence,” who is widely ranked as one of the top centers in this year’s class. While Pope’s reporting only relates to one team, it does shed some light on how other NHL scouts might view McKenna given the events of the past month, assuming the Blackhawks are not alone in their reported view of things.
Other notes from the Central Division:
- St. Louis Blues center Robert Thomas is one of the key names as the league rapidly approaches the trade deadline, with The Athletic’s Chris Johnston listing him No. 5 on his trade board. Complicating what would already be a complex trade to pull off is the recent injury suffered by Thomas. Jeremy Rutherford, Johnston’s colleague at The Athletic, relayed word from Blues head coach Jim Montgomery who said that Thomas underwent a “minor leg procedure” and currently has an unclear return timeline. Rutherford noted that Thomas did skate on Friday, but it remains unknown when Thomas will be fit to return in full. The 26-year-old center scored 21 goals and 81 points in 70 games last season and has 11 goals and 33 points in 42 games this year.
- Veteran Blues winger Oskar Sundqvist had a minor procedure during the Olympic break, reports Rutherford. He skated alongside Thomas on Friday, but like his teammate, is currently dealing with an uncertain return timeline. The 31-year-old veteran has 14 points in 43 games this season and when healthy is a regular bottom-six contributor for the Blues, including on both sides of special teams.
West Notes: Thomas, Catton, Necas, Blankenburg
There are no expectations that Robert Thomas will return to the St. Louis Blues before the upcoming Olympic break. The Blues announced that Thomas had minor leg surgery yesterday and would return after the Olympics.
Thomas has missed much of January, having last played on January 10th. So far in the 2025-26 season, the 26-year-old center has scored 11 goals and 33 points in 42 games, managing a -3 rating, while averaging 18:58 of ice time per game.
Although Thomas’s injury recovery won’t impact the Blues’ postseason outlook, it could have ramifications leading up to the trade deadline. While it was always unlikely, there was some speculation that St. Louis was entertaining trade offers on Thomas. Prospective buyers will likely shy away from the high price the Blues have set, given that Thomas would be only a few days removed from fully recovering by the deadline.
Additional notes from the Western Conference:
- The Seattle Kraken will be without one of their up-and-coming prospects through the upcoming Olympic break. Earlier today, the Kraken announced that Berkly Catton will miss Seattle’s next three games due to an upper-body injury. Catton, who missed several weeks in December due to a separate injury, has scored five goals and 11 points in 40 games throughout his rookie campaign.
- Despite the lopside afair, the Colorado Avalanche were without their second-highest scorer against the Detroit Red Wings this afternoon. Before the game, Corey Masisak of The Denver Post shared that Martin Nečas is considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Regardless, the Avalanche pulled away with the victory, and there’s no expectation that Nečas will be held out through the Olympic break before he suits up for Team Czechia.
- Tied with the New York Islanders at the time of writing, the Nashville Predators are without one of their most underrated defenseman tonight. The Predators announced that Nick Blankenburg would miss tonight’s contest due to illness. Already setting career-highs across the board, Blankenburg sits eighth on the team in scoring with six goals and 21 points in 43 games.
Blues Will Enter New Era If Robert Thomas Leaves
Trade rumors are kicking up as the March 6th Trade Deadline draws near. Central to recent discussion is St. Louis Blues top center Robert Thomas, who appears set to enter the prime years of his career on a team that’s falling short. That rift has opened discussions around Thomas’ future in St. Louis. The Blues would be open to moving their star, only if they receive an offer they can’t refuse or a younger, top-six forward, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on the January 23rd episode of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast. It’s no surprise that St. Louis would need a convincing offer – moving on from Thomas would quickly thrust the franchise into its next era.
The search for a true top-center is a race every team must run. St. Louis has historically done well at making sure that role is locked down at all times. Hall-of-Famer Pierre Turgeon passed the title to Doug Weight in the early 2000’s, only for Keith Tkachuk to take over before the 2010’s. By then, St. Louis had promoted David Backes into a daily lineup role. He would go on to captain the team until 2016, when he moved to the Boston Bruins. That decision left St. Louis with a vacancy – briefly filled by Brayden Schenn – that they didn’t fully fill until acquiring Ryan O’Reilly ahead of their Stanley Cup-winning 2018-19 season.
O’Reilly separated from the Blues in 2023. By then, Thomas had reached 23 years old and nearly 300 games of NHL experience. He was ready to take on a true starring role, made evident by the 65 points he scored in 73 games of the 2022-23 campaign – then, a stout follow-up to the 77 points he scored in 2021-22. Thomas began receiving 20 minutes of ice time routinely following O’Reilly’s departure. He stood up to St. Louis’ top role – once filled by current and future Hall-of-Famers – with glowing results.
Thomas scored 26 goals and 86 points while playing all 82 games of the 2023-24 season, his first year as St. Louis’ unimpeded #1. He became the first Blue to reach the 60-assist mark in the 2000’s, and the first since Craig Janney in 1994. Like Janney, Thomas went back-to-back with the accolade, recording 21 goals and 81 points in 70 games last season.
The consecutive performances were more than lightning striking twice. Thomas became the central core of St. Louis’ offense in the top role. His versatility was invaluable as the Blues figured out how to deploy north-south scorer Jordan Kyrou, and youngsters like Jake Neighbours, without getting burned. Thomas did it all, showing just as much flash in puck battles against the end-boards as he did in open space at the tops of the circles.
Thomas’ success became a forgone conclusion after another statement year last season. With a faceoff percentage consistently north of 50 percent, and plenty of intangibles, the Blues had molded another well-rounded star into their top center role. But the 2025-26 season has disappointed. St. Louis ranks dead-last in the NHL in goals scored (126) which has cut Thomas’ scoring down to 33 points in 42 games – still the most on the team by five points.
At 26, Thomas is stepping into the golden years of his career. He has already won one Stanley Cup in St. Louis but may not have too many more chances to chase another with the club’s current trajectory. The Blues are set to turn over their general manager position to rookie manager Alexander Steen this summer. Once a candidate for St. Louis’ top-center role himself, Steen will face the task of pushing the Blues forward after – presumably – their third playoff miss in the last four seasons. The prospect cupboards are stocked – with top prospects like Dalibor Dvorsky, Dylan Holloway, and Jimmy Snuggerud already making a splash in the NHL.
If that young success will be enough to convince St. Louis to separate with their true star is unclear. Thomas has found deep roots with the Blues and offers enough talent to lift a rocky ship, with the right pieces around him. He could lead St. Louis back to the postseason within a couple years just as well as he could fetch them a hefty return on the open market. How the Blues weigh those outcomes could go a long way in showing their long-term trust in smooth-face GM Steen and his ability to find another top center.
Photo courtesy of Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports.
Morning Notes: Pettersson, Thomas, Avalanche
As the Vancouver Canucks enter a turning point for the organization, much has been made of the trade candidacy of center Elias Pettersson. Multiple teams have shown interest in the former 102-point scorer, but there are no reports of any substantial developments.
Furthermore, it doesn’t sound like Pettersson has any interest in leaving Vancouver. Speaking on Donnie and Dhali, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said, “I know there’s a lot of talk about Elias Pettersson right now, I just haven’t been given any indication that he is willing to waive at this point in time.”
If the Canucks cannot find a suitable trade partner that Pettersson would consider, or if he simply does not want to leave Vancouver, he has the right to block the trade. Pettersson has a full no-movement clause in his contract, and it will remain through the 2031-32 NHL season.
Additional morning notes:
- According to an article from Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff, the St. Louis Blues have understandably set an extremely high asking price for forward Robert Thomas. Even as perceived sellers leading up to the trade deadline, the Blues aren’t actively looking to move Thomas, though they will do their due diligence if a suitor gives them an offer they can’t refuse. Still, Di Marco spoke with an anonymous team source of a club that contacted St. Louis regarding Thomas, and that negotiations were killed relatively quickly due to the asking price.
- The Colorado Avalanche had a slight change to their forward core in last night’s blowout loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. Before the game, Aarif Deen of Colorado Hockey Now reported that Ross Colton would miss the contest with a lower-body injury (day-to-day) and that Joel Kiviranta would take his place in the lineup. Kiviranta recently missed nearly a month with his own injury, and went scoreless in last night’s contest.
Blues Place Robert Thomas On Injured Reserve
The St. Louis Blues are losing their highest-scoring player for the next few weeks. The Blues announced that they’ve placed forward Robert Thomas on the injured reserve with a lower-body injury and that he would be re-evaluated in two weeks.
Despite again being the rumor of some trade speculation, Thomas has been his steady self for St. Louis this season. Although he’s tied for seventh in games played, Thomas leads the team in scoring with 11 goals and 33 points across 42 games on the year.
Thomas, 26, has already missed one game for the Blues due to the lower-body ailment and will likely miss a minimum of eight, given the projected recovery timeline. Given that St. Louis is five points back of the final wild-card spot and seven points back of being in last place in the Western Conference, they will be without their top forward for a pivotal stretch of games.
There’s no telling how much more their offense will depreciate without Thomas in the lineup. The Blues are already last in the league with a 2.49 GF/G average, and 23rd with a man advantage, having a 17.07% success rate on the power play.
Thomas’ injury is expected to negatively impact St. Louis’ performance on the ice, and it could also affect other players on the team. If the Blues fall further out of playoff contention, the trade markets for Brayden Schenn, Jordan Kyrou, and Justin Faulk could heat up more than they already are.