NHL Trades and Rumors

Blues Captain Thomas Off to a Slow Start, and Trade Questions Surfacing

Robert Thomas isn’t producing like the Blues need him to. Could that lead to trade speculation, like there was last season?

by
NHL Trade Talk
October 17, 2026

Seven games into the season, the St. Louis Blues are facing an uncomfortable problem: their captain hasn’t produced the way the team expected. Robert Thomas is off to a slower start, and that’s an issue given he’s their best player and the Blues put a lot of faith in him when they decided not to trade him last season.

Fans have been vocal about Thomas’s slow start, and some are asking whether the club should have moved him instead of bringing him back and giving him the captaincy.

The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford noted that this isn’t the first time this question has been asked. The organization had it internally last season and continued it into the summer, when Thomas met with new general manager Alexander Steen. The outcome was a vote of confidence.

Rutherford argues the concern is understandable but premature. He still views Thomas as the Blues’ best player and says the team’s playoff hopes depend on him. He doesn’t excuse the lack of production, though. Thomas has to deliver, and Rutherford says that responsibility falls on him. The added weight of the captaincy may be a factor, but Thomas welcomed it.

The sample size matters. Seven games isn’t enough to sound the alarm, and Rutherford believes Thomas is capable of carrying the team.

What If Things Don’t Get Better for Thomas and the Blues?

The picture changes if the slump lasts a lot longer than seven games. “If we’re having this conversation after 20 or 25 games, there’s reason to be alarmed,” writes Rutherford. He adds, “But at that point, how would the Blues handle it? It’s not like they’re going to do an about-face, rip off the “C” and find a trade.”

Thomas needs to get going. Producing when the team decided not to make a move is the best response he could have, and right now, he’s not producing as he should. The Blues might have to wait things out and revisit things at the end of the season. He’s locked until 2031, with a full no-trade clause until 2030.

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