All This Talk About Not Having a Star Player-Silly

[Army's Mom]

Col, Dal and Min all have 3-4 players in the top 50 Fantasy rankings.
Col has 2 in the top 10
The Blues have ZERO
There’s nobody on our team that ever dekes, dangles, fakes or spins..

Who cares?
Does deking, dangling, faking, or spinning (that's a cool trick!) equate to winning? In the playoffs?

Gimme a team of Jake Neighborses over a team of ice dancers any day.

[rezero]

He may have the stats but as people used to say about Kyrou, he doesn’t pass the “eye test” of an elite player.

Doesn’t single-handedly take over a game
There is no sense of anticipation when the puck is on his stick
Has bouts of moodiness from time to time

I truly hope 100% he gets there, I don’t think he’s there yet however.

This. Thomas is a very good player, but he is not elite by my definition. I would say there is only around 15-20 truly elite players on the ice in 2026. When I think of elite, they are the type of players who can take over games and series. They are players who elevate a team to the next level. They are players who will be openly accepted into the HOF without question. Thomas just doesn’t fall into that group. Heck he didnt even make the ASG the last two seasons which is pretty much mandatory if someone wants to be called “elite”.

The comment that said if Thomas was on Colorado he would have 100pts never holds water. MacDavid scores about 120pts per season. If he was on the Blues he would still score 120pts per season. MacDavid is undeniably elite. Thomas is a perennial 70-75 pts average type player which is good but not “elite”.

Again, I am not bashing Thomas as he is the best player on the Blues but he is not what I would consider “elite”.

[ratonmono2]

Who the hell is Robert Thomas? He is a star player, and his best days are in front of him. He is Elite and is similar to all but a few of the below players who have higher quality: Makar, Matthews Tkachuks, Hughes, Keller--the Rest not better. He is equal to Suzuki or Caufield or Tage or Svechnikov or Hischer or Necas.
For you monkeys that say we have no Top players. We do. We have a winner in Thomas. He is a star. A little tip--We have a few more potential future stars in Broberg, Holloway, Snuggerud and Hofer. Let them prove it before we talk of them. Thomas has proved it and his point totals last 5 years are just outside top ten in the league. (due to injury)

If he was on Colorado, he'd have 100 pts.

Lets look at his draft class, shall we?

Cale Makar 547
Elias Pettersson 508
Jason Robertson 490
Nico Hischier 488
Nick Suzuki 476
Robert Thomas 460
Martin Necas 426
Miro Heiskanen 346



Next Draft Class:
Brady Tkachuk 463
Hughes 485
Svechnikov 434
Dahlin 434


and the one before his;
Matthews 780
Matt Tkachuk 670
Keller 596
Debrincat 595
Tage Thompson 406
Dubois 427
Laine 422
Adam Fox 422

2019 class
Jack Hughes 428
Boldy 329
Caufield 307
Zegras 253
Cozens 272

Thomas is absolutely a star player, agreed. Amongst his peers at his position, I'd rank going forward only Celebrini, MacKinnon, McDavid, Suzuki, Draisaitl, Barkov as better centers. Suzuki has been behind until last year. Crosby of course but he's near the end. Matthews defensive game is putrid and he's not making up for it with 60 goals any longer.

[Bacchk29]

Col, Dal and Min all have 3-4 players in the top 50 Fantasy rankings.
Col has 2 in the top 10
The Blues have ZERO
There’s nobody on our team that ever dekes, dangles, fakes or spins..

Who cares?
Does deking, dangling, faking, or spinning (that's a cool trick!) equate to winning? In the playoffs?

Gimme a team of Jake Neighborses over a team of ice dancers any day.

Good. You’d be watching them play golf in April.

[Army's Mom]

He may have the stats but as people used to say about Kyrou, he doesn’t pass the “eye test” of an elite player.

Doesn’t single-handedly take over a game
There is no sense of anticipation when the puck is on his stick
Has bouts of moodiness from time to time

I truly hope 100% he gets there, I don’t think he’s there yet however.

This. Thomas is a very good player, but he is not elite by my definition. I would say there is only around 15-20 truly elite players on the ice in 2026. When I think of elite, they are the type of players who can take over games and series. They are players who elevate a team to the next level. They are players who will be openly accepted into the HOF without question. Thomas just doesn’t fall into that group. Heck he didnt even make the ASG the last two seasons which is pretty much mandatory if someone wants to be called “elite”.

The comment that said if Thomas was on Colorado he would have 100pts never holds water. MacDavid scores about 120pts per season. If he was on the Blues he would still score 120pts per season. MacDavid is undeniably elite. Thomas is a perennial 70-75 pts average type player which is good but not “elite”.

Again, I am not bashing Thomas as he is the best player on the Blues but he is not what I would consider “elite”.

I dont disagree that there are only 10 to 15 truly elite players, they should always be all stars, and that Thimasbis a tier below. But IMHO, the difference between tiers is overstated.

1. Nate Mack would NOT score 120 here, not without Makar or Necas. If Thomas is a 90 pt player here, Nate is maybe a 100 to 110 pt player. He's not 30% better

2. Thomas can absolutely take over games and carry the team. We saw it during the post 4-nations run tow years ago. The difference is consistency - with Nate Mack, you expect him to change the outcome of a game maybe 90% of his games. With RT, it's maybe 50%.

Honestly, I think Thomas has some growth left in him. I would like to see what happens when the Blues ice a top 6 that all give 100% every shift, with enough speed and skill to attack. That hasn't happened the past few years (Schenn, Buch, Kyrou). But if the Micks can elevate the talent/effort and Buchy can rebound (or make way for Berggren or another kid, we should see Thimas take a real crack at 100 pts (assuming good health).

Here's hoping.

[blues2112]

He may have the stats but as people used to say about Kyrou, he doesn’t pass the “eye test” of an elite player.

Doesn’t single-handedly take over a game
There is no sense of anticipation when the puck is on his stick
Has bouts of moodiness from time to time

I truly hope 100% he gets there, I don’t think he’s there yet however.

This. Thomas is a very good player, but he is not elite by my definition. I would say there is only around 15-20 truly elite players on the ice in 2026. When I think of elite, they are the type of players who can take over games and series. They are players who elevate a team to the next level. They are players who will be openly accepted into the HOF without question. Thomas just doesn’t fall into that group. Heck he didnt even make the ASG the last two seasons which is pretty much mandatory if someone wants to be called “elite”.

The comment that said if Thomas was on Colorado he would have 100pts never holds water. MacDavid scores about 120pts per season. If he was on the Blues he would still score 120pts per season. MacDavid is undeniably elite. Thomas is a perennial 70-75 pts average type player which is good but not “elite”.

Again, I am not bashing Thomas as he is the best player on the Blues but he is not what I would consider “elite”.

Agree with both of you.

And, to emphasize, The Thomas was a mid-first-round pick with a team-friendly contract and wears a letter. Blues organ-eye-zation have scored big time with The Thomas.

[a smell of green grass]

He may have the stats but as people used to say about Kyrou, he doesn’t pass the “eye test” of an elite player.

Doesn’t single-handedly take over a game
There is no sense of anticipation when the puck is on his stick
Has bouts of moodiness from time to time

I truly hope 100% he gets there, I don’t think he’s there yet however.

This. Thomas is a very good player, but he is not elite by my definition. I would say there is only around 15-20 truly elite players on the ice in 2026. When I think of elite, they are the type of players who can take over games and series. They are players who elevate a team to the next level. They are players who will be openly accepted into the HOF without question. Thomas just doesn’t fall into that group. Heck he didnt even make the ASG the last two seasons which is pretty much mandatory if someone wants to be called “elite”.

The comment that said if Thomas was on Colorado he would have 100pts never holds water. MacDavid scores about 120pts per season. If he was on the Blues he would still score 120pts per season. MacDavid is undeniably elite. Thomas is a perennial 70-75 pts average type player which is good but not “elite”.

Again, I am not bashing Thomas as he is the best player on the Blues but he is not what I would consider “elite”.

Agree with both of you.

And, to emphasize, The Thomas was a mid-first-round pick with a team-friendly contract and wears a letter. Blues organ-eye-zation have scored big time with The Thomas.

The downside to Thomas is only that he was put into the wrong position (1c), and kept the franchise from knowing that they needed a true 1C for many years. None of this is Thomas's fault. It is Army's fault for putting the wrong guy into role to begin with.

The same thing has now happened with Dvorsky. He's not a 2C, and we just spent 3 years WAITING for him to be, instead of doing what we needed to do to acquire the right talent to begin with.

So if the McTavish acquisition blows up in our face, don't blame McTavish. No. Blame Army being in a desperate situation because of betting the farm on Dvorsky and losing 3 years later.

[2forDiving]

He may have the stats but as people used to say about Kyrou, he doesn’t pass the “eye test” of an elite player.

Doesn’t single-handedly take over a game
There is no sense of anticipation when the puck is on his stick
Has bouts of moodiness from time to time

I truly hope 100% he gets there, I don’t think he’s there yet however.

This. Thomas is a very good player, but he is not elite by my definition. I would say there is only around 15-20 truly elite players on the ice in 2026. When I think of elite, they are the type of players who can take over games and series. They are players who elevate a team to the next level. They are players who will be openly accepted into the HOF without question. Thomas just doesn’t fall into that group. Heck he didnt even make the ASG the last two seasons which is pretty much mandatory if someone wants to be called “elite”.

The comment that said if Thomas was on Colorado he would have 100pts never holds water. MacDavid scores about 120pts per season. If he was on the Blues he would still score 120pts per season. MacDavid is undeniably elite. Thomas is a perennial 70-75 pts average type player which is good but not “elite”.

Again, I am not bashing Thomas as he is the best player on the Blues but he is not what I would consider “elite”.

Agree with both of you.

And, to emphasize, The Thomas was a mid-first-round pick with a team-friendly contract and wears a letter. Blues organ-eye-zation have scored big time with The Thomas.

The downside to Thomas is only that he was put into the wrong position (1c), and kept the franchise from knowing that they needed a true 1C for many years. None of this is Thomas's fault. It is Army's fault for putting the wrong guy into role to begin with.

The same thing has now happened with Dvorsky. He's not a 2C, and we just spent 3 years WAITING for him to be, instead of doing what we needed to do to acquire the right talent to begin with.

So if the McTavish acquisition blows up in our face, don't blame McTavish. No. Blame Army being in a desperate situation because of betting the farm on Dvorsky and losing 3 years later.

So are you throwing dirt on all the guys from the 2023 draft that haven’t met your standards or just the Blues’ picks? Reinbacher, Shimashev, Danielson, Moore, But, Leonard, etc. you are saying they are all failures?

[DawgDad]

He may have the stats but as people used to say about Kyrou, he doesn’t pass the “eye test” of an elite player.

Doesn’t single-handedly take over a game
There is no sense of anticipation when the puck is on his stick
Has bouts of moodiness from time to time

I truly hope 100% he gets there, I don’t think he’s there yet however.

This. Thomas is a very good player, but he is not elite by my definition. I would say there is only around 15-20 truly elite players on the ice in 2026. When I think of elite, they are the type of players who can take over games and series. They are players who elevate a team to the next level. They are players who will be openly accepted into the HOF without question. Thomas just doesn’t fall into that group. Heck he didnt even make the ASG the last two seasons which is pretty much mandatory if someone wants to be called “elite”.

The comment that said if Thomas was on Colorado he would have 100pts never holds water. MacDavid scores about 120pts per season. If he was on the Blues he would still score 120pts per season. MacDavid is undeniably elite. Thomas is a perennial 70-75 pts average type player which is good but not “elite”.

Again, I am not bashing Thomas as he is the best player on the Blues but he is not what I would consider “elite”.

Agree with both of you.

And, to emphasize, The Thomas was a mid-first-round pick with a team-friendly contract and wears a letter. Blues organ-eye-zation have scored big time with The Thomas.

The downside to Thomas is only that he was put into the wrong position (1c), and kept the franchise from knowing that they needed a true 1C for many years. None of this is Thomas's fault. It is Army's fault for putting the wrong guy into role to begin with.

The same thing has now happened with Dvorsky. He's not a 2C, and we just spent 3 years WAITING for him to be, instead of doing what we needed to do to acquire the right talent to begin with.

So if the McTavish acquisition blows up in our face, don't blame McTavish. No. Blame Army being in a desperate situation because of betting the farm on Dvorsky and losing 3 years later.

Silly.
RT is a 1C, he's a PPG player who's also very good defensively.
Dvorsky has less than one full season of experience in the NHL playing middle-6 center exclusively. This will be his age 21 season, he remains on-track in his development.
IF management had given up on Dvorsky as a center they would move him. That hasn't happened. It's possible they might move him to wing but there is no evidence they plan to do that and he would have been a valuable trade chip.

[MrPostman01]

There are oodles of draft gurus on You Tube enamored with Lawrence. They point out his age (Won't be 18 until a few weeks from now, making him almost 8 months younger than McKenna. The maturation process may well bring about higher positioning in the re-draft.

[a smell of green grass]

He may have the stats but as people used to say about Kyrou, he doesn’t pass the “eye test” of an elite player.

Doesn’t single-handedly take over a game
There is no sense of anticipation when the puck is on his stick
Has bouts of moodiness from time to time

I truly hope 100% he gets there, I don’t think he’s there yet however.

This. Thomas is a very good player, but he is not elite by my definition. I would say there is only around 15-20 truly elite players on the ice in 2026. When I think of elite, they are the type of players who can take over games and series. They are players who elevate a team to the next level. They are players who will be openly accepted into the HOF without question. Thomas just doesn’t fall into that group. Heck he didnt even make the ASG the last two seasons which is pretty much mandatory if someone wants to be called “elite”.

The comment that said if Thomas was on Colorado he would have 100pts never holds water. MacDavid scores about 120pts per season. If he was on the Blues he would still score 120pts per season. MacDavid is undeniably elite. Thomas is a perennial 70-75 pts average type player which is good but not “elite”.

Again, I am not bashing Thomas as he is the best player on the Blues but he is not what I would consider “elite”.

Agree with both of you.

And, to emphasize, The Thomas was a mid-first-round pick with a team-friendly contract and wears a letter. Blues organ-eye-zation have scored big time with The Thomas.

The downside to Thomas is only that he was put into the wrong position (1c), and kept the franchise from knowing that they needed a true 1C for many years. None of this is Thomas's fault. It is Army's fault for putting the wrong guy into role to begin with.

The same thing has now happened with Dvorsky. He's not a 2C, and we just spent 3 years WAITING for him to be, instead of doing what we needed to do to acquire the right talent to begin with.

So if the McTavish acquisition blows up in our face, don't blame McTavish. No. Blame Army being in a desperate situation because of betting the farm on Dvorsky and losing 3 years later.

So are you throwing dirt on all the guys from the 2023 draft that haven’t met your standards or just the Blues’ picks? Reinbacher, Shimashev, Danielson, Moore, But, Leonard, etc. you are saying they are all failures?

I'm throwing dirt on any guys drafted in Round 1 in 2023 that have been leapfrogged on the roster by a player drafted just 2 years earlier by a mediocre franchise, and acquired AT GREAT COST, and signed for 5 more years.

Dvorsky has just been leapfrogged by a highly suspect talent that is only 2 years older, someone that couldn't stay in the lineup of a poor team, someone who was acquired at great cost, and someone who is signed for 5 more years. The Blues brand new GM is HEAVILY INVESTED now in McTavish. Dvorsky will likely never see 2C by his name again.

That is Dvorsky and the Blues situation. Don't know if that "roster explosion" has happened to the others that you mentioned. I doubt it.

[Bacchk29]

He may have the stats but as people used to say about Kyrou, he doesn’t pass the “eye test” of an elite player.

Doesn’t single-handedly take over a game
There is no sense of anticipation when the puck is on his stick
Has bouts of moodiness from time to time

I truly hope 100% he gets there, I don’t think he’s there yet however.

This. Thomas is a very good player, but he is not elite by my definition. I would say there is only around 15-20 truly elite players on the ice in 2026. When I think of elite, they are the type of players who can take over games and series. They are players who elevate a team to the next level. They are players who will be openly accepted into the HOF without question. Thomas just doesn’t fall into that group. Heck he didnt even make the ASG the last two seasons which is pretty much mandatory if someone wants to be called “elite”.

The comment that said if Thomas was on Colorado he would have 100pts never holds water. MacDavid scores about 120pts per season. If he was on the Blues he would still score 120pts per season. MacDavid is undeniably elite. Thomas is a perennial 70-75 pts average type player which is good but not “elite”.

Again, I am not bashing Thomas as he is the best player on the Blues but he is not what I would consider “elite”.

Agree with both of you.

And, to emphasize, The Thomas was a mid-first-round pick with a team-friendly contract and wears a letter. Blues organ-eye-zation have scored big time with The Thomas.

The downside to Thomas is only that he was put into the wrong position (1c), and kept the franchise from knowing that they needed a true 1C for many years. None of this is Thomas's fault. It is Army's fault for putting the wrong guy into role to begin with.

The same thing has now happened with Dvorsky. He's not a 2C, and we just spent 3 years WAITING for him to be, instead of doing what we needed to do to acquire the right talent to begin with.

So if the McTavish acquisition blows up in our face, don't blame McTavish. No. Blame Army being in a desperate situation because of betting the farm on Dvorsky and losing 3 years later.

So are you throwing dirt on all the guys from the 2023 draft that haven’t met your standards or just the Blues’ picks? Reinbacher, Shimashev, Danielson, Moore, But, Leonard, etc. you are saying they are all failures?

I'm throwing dirt on any guys drafted in Round 1 in 2023 that have been leapfrogged on the roster by a player drafted just 2 years earlier by a mediocre franchise, and acquired AT GREAT COST, and signed for 5 more years.

Dvorsky has just been leapfrogged by a highly suspect talent that is only 2 years older, someone that couldn't stay in the lineup of a poor team, someone who was acquired at great cost, and someone who is signed for 5 more years. The Blues brand new GM is HEAVILY INVESTED now in McTavish. Dvorsky will likely never see 2C by his name again.

That is Dvorsky and the Blues situation. Don't know if that "roster explosion" has happened to the others that you mentioned. I doubt it.

When you’ve drafted 2 skilled top forwards in 16 years you’ve gotta do something I guess.