Per Eklund (E4) - Thomas & LA

[Old_Goat]

Thomas is a 2C based on what I hear Army saying...

How long and uncomfortable would it be for Army to demote Thomas from 1C to 2C on the Blues roster? Answer: It would be a long experience, fraught with angst and hurt feelings and de-motivation.

When Thomas is traded, and Thomas slots into 2C on the new team, it will happen overnight. Easy. Least disruptive to Thomas.

This is why Thomas needs to be traded.

You make a very good point. But if somehow the team could land a truly much better #1 Centerman, then I believe Thomas would be satisfied to be on the next line assuming that the team is consequently winning much more and being realistically in the mix for Championship.

[a smell of green grass]

Thomas is a 2C based on what I hear Army saying...

How long and uncomfortable would it be for Army to demote Thomas from 1C to 2C on the Blues roster? Answer: It would be a long experience, fraught with angst and hurt feelings and de-motivation.

When Thomas is traded, and Thomas slots into 2C on the new team, it will happen overnight. Easy. Least disruptive to Thomas.

This is why Thomas needs to be traded.

You make a very good point. But if somehow the team could land a truly much better #1 Centerman, then I believe Thomas would be satisfied to be on the next line assuming that the team is consequently winning much more and being realistically in the mix for Championship.

True. However, what are the chances that a much better and experienced #1 Center will be coming our way in a Thomas trade?

[TheJackBurton]

LA has 0 Center prospects that could be considered even 2nd line NHL center talent. Their prospects do not line up for a Thomas trade.

They would definitely be a great trade partner and have many nice players that would fit our needs. We don't have to have a center coming back in THIS specific trade. There are other trades to be made that could yield a center.

I'm sure Don Sweeney said this as he traded Linus Ullmark before signing Swayman

[ratonmono2]

Thomas is a 2C based on what I hear Army saying...

How long and uncomfortable would it be for Army to demote Thomas from 1C to 2C on the Blues roster? Answer: It would be a long experience, fraught with angst and hurt feelings and de-motivation.

When Thomas is traded, and Thomas slots into 2C on the new team, it will happen overnight. Easy. Least disruptive to Thomas.

This is why Thomas needs to be traded.

Thomas is absolutely a #1C in this league in at least 20 of the teams he could be traded to. There are some guys that play/have played behind another #1C (Draisaitl and McDavid, Tavares and Matthews, Crosby and Malkin, Forsberg & Sakic, Yzerman & Fedorov, Modano & Niewendyk etc etc) but right now in the NHL Robert Thomas is absolutely a #1C amongst his peers, despite an awful season currently underway.

Who the hell on this Blues roster is demoting Thomas to the #2 spot? Dvorsky? Nice kid who will become a solid NHLer one day very soon I'm sure, but he is not bumping Thomas down.

Now, if you want to have a discussion on whether you think a team can win with Thomas as it's #1C there's a discussion to be had. But frankly without a true #1D in place, that discussion is moot, so the focus is essentially on finding that #1D. Big if, but if Thomas is traded it will be because he does not fit into the timeline of contention for this team to find a #1D and that a package in return is sufficient to facilitate that kind of move.

[a smell of green grass]

Thomas is a 2C based on what I hear Army saying...

How long and uncomfortable would it be for Army to demote Thomas from 1C to 2C on the Blues roster? Answer: It would be a long experience, fraught with angst and hurt feelings and de-motivation.

When Thomas is traded, and Thomas slots into 2C on the new team, it will happen overnight. Easy. Least disruptive to Thomas.

This is why Thomas needs to be traded.

Thomas is absolutely a #1C in this league in at least 20 of the teams he could be traded to. There are some guys that play/have played behind another #1C (Draisaitl and McDavid, Tavares and Matthews, Crosby and Malkin, Forsberg & Sakic, Yzerman & Fedorov, Modano & Niewendyk etc etc) but right now in the NHL Robert Thomas is absolutely a #1C amongst his peers, despite an awful season currently underway.

Who the hell on this Blues roster is demoting Thomas to the #2 spot? Dvorsky? Nice kid who will become a solid NHLer one day very soon I'm sure, but he is not bumping Thomas down.

Now, if you want to have a discussion on whether you think a team can win with Thomas as it's #1C there's a discussion to be had. But frankly without a true #1D in place, that discussion is moot, so the focus is essentially on finding that #1D. Big if, but if Thomas is traded it will be because he does not fit into the timeline of contention for this team to find a #1D and that a package in return is sufficient to facilitate that kind of move.

How do I know that Thomas is a 2C?

Answer:
1) If/When Thomas is traded, it will be to a team needing a 2C because they have an elite 1C. By circumstance, this tells us that contending teams have better 1Cs, and an elite 1C is what makes a playoff team.
2) Army has said numerous times since Feb 2025 that our teams best, most tenured, players are being outplayed by the other team's. They are not consistent enough. This tells me that Army believes that Thomas is a 2C.
3) Thomas has been injured a lot in recent years.
4) Thomas was mostly a non-factor in the playoffs last year. He definitely did not step up.

Thomas is almost certainly being traded because he needs to move to 2C, and that will be very difficult to accomplish elegantly in St Louis.

[BleedingBleu]

Thomas is a 2C based on what I hear Army saying...

How long and uncomfortable would it be for Army to demote Thomas from 1C to 2C on the Blues roster? Answer: It would be a long experience, fraught with angst and hurt feelings and de-motivation.

When Thomas is traded, and Thomas slots into 2C on the new team, it will happen overnight. Easy. Least disruptive to Thomas.

This is why Thomas needs to be traded.

Thomas is absolutely a #1C in this league in at least 20 of the teams he could be traded to. There are some guys that play/have played behind another #1C (Draisaitl and McDavid, Tavares and Matthews, Crosby and Malkin, Forsberg & Sakic, Yzerman & Fedorov, Modano & Niewendyk etc etc) but right now in the NHL Robert Thomas is absolutely a #1C amongst his peers, despite an awful season currently underway.

Who the hell on this Blues roster is demoting Thomas to the #2 spot? Dvorsky? Nice kid who will become a solid NHLer one day very soon I'm sure, but he is not bumping Thomas down.

Now, if you want to have a discussion on whether you think a team can win with Thomas as it's #1C there's a discussion to be had. But frankly without a true #1D in place, that discussion is moot, so the focus is essentially on finding that #1D. Big if, but if Thomas is traded it will be because he does not fit into the timeline of contention for this team to find a #1D and that a package in return is sufficient to facilitate that kind of move.

How do I know that Thomas is a 2C?

Answer:
1) If/When Thomas is traded, it will be to a team needing a 2C because they have an elite 1C. By circumstance, this tells us that contending teams have better 1Cs, and an elite 1C is what makes a playoff team.
2) Army has said numerous times since Feb 2025 that our teams best, most tenured, players are being outplayed by the other team's. They are not consistent enough. This tells me that Army believes that Thomas is a 2C.
3) Thomas has been injured a lot in recent years.
4) Thomas was mostly a non-factor in the playoffs last year. He definitely did not step up.

Thomas is almost certainly being traded because he needs to move to 2C, and that will be very difficult to accomplish elegantly in St Louis.

By that logic, Draisaitl, Malkin, or even Mark Messier were only #2C. That’s just daft logic.

I’m not convinced that Robert Thomas on Detroit or on the Bruins is the #2C.

[ratonmono2]

Thomas is a 2C based on what I hear Army saying...

How long and uncomfortable would it be for Army to demote Thomas from 1C to 2C on the Blues roster? Answer: It would be a long experience, fraught with angst and hurt feelings and de-motivation.

When Thomas is traded, and Thomas slots into 2C on the new team, it will happen overnight. Easy. Least disruptive to Thomas.

This is why Thomas needs to be traded.

Thomas is absolutely a #1C in this league in at least 20 of the teams he could be traded to. There are some guys that play/have played behind another #1C (Draisaitl and McDavid, Tavares and Matthews, Crosby and Malkin, Forsberg & Sakic, Yzerman & Fedorov, Modano & Niewendyk etc etc) but right now in the NHL Robert Thomas is absolutely a #1C amongst his peers, despite an awful season currently underway.

Who the hell on this Blues roster is demoting Thomas to the #2 spot? Dvorsky? Nice kid who will become a solid NHLer one day very soon I'm sure, but he is not bumping Thomas down.

Now, if you want to have a discussion on whether you think a team can win with Thomas as it's #1C there's a discussion to be had. But frankly without a true #1D in place, that discussion is moot, so the focus is essentially on finding that #1D. Big if, but if Thomas is traded it will be because he does not fit into the timeline of contention for this team to find a #1D and that a package in return is sufficient to facilitate that kind of move.

How do I know that Thomas is a 2C?

Answer:
1) If/When Thomas is traded, it will be to a team needing a 2C because they have an elite 1C. By circumstance, this tells us that contending teams have better 1Cs, and an elite 1C is what makes a playoff team.
2) Army has said numerous times since Feb 2025 that our teams best, most tenured, players are being outplayed by the other team's. They are not consistent enough. This tells me that Army believes that Thomas is a 2C.
3) Thomas has been injured a lot in recent years.
4) Thomas was mostly a non-factor in the playoffs last year. He definitely did not step up.

Thomas is almost certainly being traded because he needs to move to 2C, and that will be very difficult to accomplish elegantly in St Louis.

That does not make him a #2C. Niewendyk did not get traded out of Calgary to Dallas because he was not a #1C for example. He did not become a #2 because he was now behind Modano, he became a #1 playing in a #2 spot. There is a difference.

Armstrong saying that his top players are getting outplayed by their opponents is painfully obvious. That does not mean that Thomas is a #2C. Your'e ascribing qualities to this player that don't align with his actual performance.

His injury status has nothing to do with #2 v #1 standing. And he has not been injured a lot. He has averaged 74 games played since 21-22 when he emerged as a #1C. He has averaged an 83 points per season pace over that period including this year. He plays 19:27 minutes per game over that period, and in 23/24 averaged over 20 minutes per game.

Again, if you don't think Thomas and his prime years line up with the ability to get a #1D which you are not winning a cup without, then yes you make the decision to trade him when you find a package worth moving him for. But to say that he is not a #1C in this league is beyond ridiculous.

Non-factor in the playoffs last season? Thomas?! I can tell you don't watch the games holy F. 20 minutes of ice time per game his minutes went up, still over a PPG.

[zuck698]

Thomas is a 2C based on what I hear Army saying...

How long and uncomfortable would it be for Army to demote Thomas from 1C to 2C on the Blues roster? Answer: It would be a long experience, fraught with angst and hurt feelings and de-motivation.

When Thomas is traded, and Thomas slots into 2C on the new team, it will happen overnight. Easy. Least disruptive to Thomas.

This is why Thomas needs to be traded.

Thomas is absolutely a #1C in this league in at least 20 of the teams he could be traded to. There are some guys that play/have played behind another #1C (Draisaitl and McDavid, Tavares and Matthews, Crosby and Malkin, Forsberg & Sakic, Yzerman & Fedorov, Modano & Niewendyk etc etc) but right now in the NHL Robert Thomas is absolutely a #1C amongst his peers, despite an awful season currently underway.

Who the hell on this Blues roster is demoting Thomas to the #2 spot? Dvorsky? Nice kid who will become a solid NHLer one day very soon I'm sure, but he is not bumping Thomas down.

Now, if you want to have a discussion on whether you think a team can win with Thomas as it's #1C there's a discussion to be had. But frankly without a true #1D in place, that discussion is moot, so the focus is essentially on finding that #1D. Big if, but if Thomas is traded it will be because he does not fit into the timeline of contention for this team to find a #1D and that a package in return is sufficient to facilitate that kind of move.

How do I know that Thomas is a 2C?

Answer:
1) If/When Thomas is traded, it will be to a team needing a 2C because they have an elite 1C. By circumstance, this tells us that contending teams have better 1Cs, and an elite 1C is what makes a playoff team.
2) Army has said numerous times since Feb 2025 that our teams best, most tenured, players are being outplayed by the other team's. They are not consistent enough. This tells me that Army believes that Thomas is a 2C.
3) Thomas has been injured a lot in recent years.
4) Thomas was mostly a non-factor in the playoffs last year. He definitely did not step up.

Thomas is almost certainly being traded because he needs to move to 2C, and that will be very difficult to accomplish elegantly in St Louis.

This tells me your favorite genre must be fiction!

[a smell of green grass]

Thomas is a 2C based on what I hear Army saying...

How long and uncomfortable would it be for Army to demote Thomas from 1C to 2C on the Blues roster? Answer: It would be a long experience, fraught with angst and hurt feelings and de-motivation.

When Thomas is traded, and Thomas slots into 2C on the new team, it will happen overnight. Easy. Least disruptive to Thomas.

This is why Thomas needs to be traded.

Thomas is absolutely a #1C in this league in at least 20 of the teams he could be traded to. There are some guys that play/have played behind another #1C (Draisaitl and McDavid, Tavares and Matthews, Crosby and Malkin, Forsberg & Sakic, Yzerman & Fedorov, Modano & Niewendyk etc etc) but right now in the NHL Robert Thomas is absolutely a #1C amongst his peers, despite an awful season currently underway.

Who the hell on this Blues roster is demoting Thomas to the #2 spot? Dvorsky? Nice kid who will become a solid NHLer one day very soon I'm sure, but he is not bumping Thomas down.

Now, if you want to have a discussion on whether you think a team can win with Thomas as it's #1C there's a discussion to be had. But frankly without a true #1D in place, that discussion is moot, so the focus is essentially on finding that #1D. Big if, but if Thomas is traded it will be because he does not fit into the timeline of contention for this team to find a #1D and that a package in return is sufficient to facilitate that kind of move.

How do I know that Thomas is a 2C?

Answer:
1) If/When Thomas is traded, it will be to a team needing a 2C because they have an elite 1C. By circumstance, this tells us that contending teams have better 1Cs, and an elite 1C is what makes a playoff team.
2) Army has said numerous times since Feb 2025 that our teams best, most tenured, players are being outplayed by the other team's. They are not consistent enough. This tells me that Army believes that Thomas is a 2C.
3) Thomas has been injured a lot in recent years.
4) Thomas was mostly a non-factor in the playoffs last year. He definitely did not step up.

Thomas is almost certainly being traded because he needs to move to 2C, and that will be very difficult to accomplish elegantly in St Louis.

This tells me your favorite genre must be fiction!

Three questions for you:
1) Who was Army referring to (in Feb 2025) when he said that our best players are being outplayed by the other team's best?
2) Who was Army referring to (in Feb 2025) when he said that we've swapped out everything except the longest-held players, and nothing changes. So it's time to swap out the longest-held players, and see if that brings a change.
3) Does the team in Feb 2026 look like the team in Feb 2025?

[zuck698]

No matter what my reply to those 3 questions are, you will make "Army Stinks" the conclusion for each! I just can't imagine being so obsessed over any individual, like you are, with a Mr. Douglas Armstrong! It really cannot be very healthy. Have a great evening.

[a smell of green grass]

No matter what my reply to those 3 questions are, you will make "Army Stinks" the conclusion for each! I just can't imagine being so obsessed over any individual, like you are, with a Mr. Douglas Armstrong! It really cannot be very healthy. Have a great evening.

You misread hate for Army with my love for the state of hockey in St Louis. I want the same level of NHL excitement that other cities get. I want the never-ending stream of elite talent like Pittsburgh. Further, I suspect that Army "stays competitive" because that is what Blues ownership and the cash register wants. I "blame Army", but the ultimate blame rests with ownership I suspect.

What Army is trying to achieve if he moves Thomas:
1) Find a younger 1C that fixes the "problem" that he called out first in Feb 2025. He want's consistent scoring, especially when the games mean most.
2) Bring in additional young talent (prospects or picks) to backfill Parayko and Fowler. We need young line 1 talent at the key positions.
3) Bring in a power play QB to improve the power play.

Army would not let go of Thomas if #1 above was not a very pressing issue. Army is 100% telling us that we need an upgrade at 1C. No team is going to give us young sure bets (Celebrini, Bedard, etc) in any deal. The return will be only young players with potential or picks. No GM would let go of a sure 1C like Celebrini in return for 2-3 question marks. No way.

[Red7]

I have never agreed with ASOGG before, but I agree with him here. On a Stanley Cup contender, even one on periphery, he's a 2C. On a team like the Blues, he's a 1C...which is why they're not sniffing the playoffs. Bobbie Tommy is to the Blues what Sonny Gray was to the Cardinals. Here, Gray was the #1. On a good team, he's a 2 or a 3.

[succinct712]

I have never agreed with ASOGG before, but I agree with him here. On a Stanley Cup contender, even one on periphery, he's a 2C. On a team like the Blues, he's a 1C...which is why they're not sniffing the playoffs. Bobbie Tommy is to the Blues what Sonny Gray was to the Cardinals. Here, Gray was the #1. On a good team, he's a 2 or a 3.

Even if that's true you still need a guy like him on your team for depth and he's still young at 26. He's been one of the best point producers on the team most of his time here. Unless the return is astronomical it's a no brainer to hold onto him. I'm sure you know that.

[BleedingBleu]

I have never agreed with ASOGG before, but I agree with him here. On a Stanley Cup contender, even one on periphery, he's a 2C. On a team like the Blues, he's a 1C...which is why they're not sniffing the playoffs. Bobbie Tommy is to the Blues what Sonny Gray was to the Cardinals. Here, Gray was the #1. On a good team, he's a 2 or a 3.

Thomas is 26; which gives ample time to acquire a 2C. If you’re giving up your Top 10 Center, then you’re now at a deficit of 2 Top Centers. Where are those coming from, the Draft?

Great, so your plan is to be terrible for not just this year and next, but a minimum of 3 years since that player does not appear to be one of those in this draft.

Also, that math doesn’t factor in how long it would take for two teenage Centers that you hope are available at your draft slot, because only St Louis is interested in acquiring them.

So, how long will it take for us to have 2 Robert Thomas’s after we deal the Robert Thomas we have? Well, it took the Penguins roughly 6 seasons after drafting Whitney (#5-2002), Fleury (#1), Malkin (#2), Crosby (#1), Staal (#2) and nearly driving the Penguins out of town before they were competitive enough to make it to a Stanley Cup Final.

[BluesDom]

Thomas stays.

[a smell of green grass]

I have never agreed with ASOGG before, but I agree with him here. On a Stanley Cup contender, even one on periphery, he's a 2C. On a team like the Blues, he's a 1C...which is why they're not sniffing the playoffs. Bobbie Tommy is to the Blues what Sonny Gray was to the Cardinals. Here, Gray was the #1. On a good team, he's a 2 or a 3.

Even if that's true you still need a guy like him on your team for depth and he's still young at 26. He's been one of the best point producers on the team most of his time here. Unless the return is astronomical it's a no brainer to hold onto him. I'm sure you know that.

Here's the mess that we are now in...

Getting an elite 1C requires 2 things.
1) A TOP 5 pick in a year where there is an elite Center.
2) A scouting staff that knows what a 1C looks like when the player is still a teenager

Many speculate that there is no true #1 in the 2026 draft. So it's possible that the best that they could do is get another "Thomas" level Center.

The Blues shunned TOP5 picks for 20 years. Because of this, no one has any idea if Army is equipped to succeed at #2, not even Army.

So here are our options...
1) Select an iffy C in 2026 draft.
2) Limp along with Thomas, and hope that the problem disappears like Kyrou in the playoffs.
3) Bring in an OLD Center, not named Kevin Hayes
4) See if Dvorsky can be a 1C
5) Trade one iffy 1C (Thomas) for a slightly younger iffy 1C (Shane Wright)