This season has been an absolute roller coaster for the Blues so far, featuring some extreme lows and some extreme highs. There has been one extremely positive constant though this season that, and even though Thomas is definitely our most nationally talked about player now, is still being understated.
Robert Thomas is becoming a legitimate high end star in the National Hockey League.
As of today Thomas sits 15th in the NHL in points and 13th in assists in the entire league. This is also while his team is 26th in the NHL in 5v5 goals per 60 minutes (that means our offense stinks out loud). If Kyrou and Buchy weren’t having extremely down years in terms of putting the puck in the net, you have to wonder if Thomas would be cracking top 10 in the entire league in points. Another factor here is that before Bannister took over behind the bench, our power play was an absolute wheelchair with pedals. Since Bannister took over it’s a top 10 power play in the league, which again you have to wonder if our power play was even halfway decent the first 3 months of the year where would Thomas be in the point standings?
I also give Thomas an edge over some of the guys ahead of him in assists so far. Why?
A) Because guys ahead of him such as Mitch Marner and Willy Nylander get to feed guys like Auston Matthews every night, where if you even partially give them a chance to score it’s going into the net. Meanwhile Thomas is setting up guys on a team without a single 20 goal scorer yet this season (Matthews is at fucking FIFTY TWO before MARCH). And
B) Because there’s a difference between a half ass apple such as giving Mcdavid a pass and your own end and he takes it coast to coast, basically giving you an A on the group project without doing anything…..vs assists like this.
The way he can look off defenders to open up that passing lane then put it on Kyrou’s tape like that is something most teams would kill for. I can’t even skate and I think I could’ve put that one in.
Before getting ROR and going to the top of the hockey world in 2019, something the Blues always seemed to be missing was a true #1 center. If this season is foreshadowing the rest of Thomas’s career, I think it’s safe to say we have one for the next 8 years.
Again, all on a team without a real bonafide elite goal scorer.
To be a true elite two way center though, you gotta be good in your own end. So here’s a crazy stat from earlier in the season for you.
But how does he perform against the best of the best you might ask?
Top 15 in the NHL in points on a roster missing an elite goal scorer.
Shutting down the elite of the elite every time he is asked.
Improving his team’s +/- by over 40 goals.
Currently on pace for 95 points, which according to Statmuse if he hits that it will be the best point total for a Blue since 1993-1994 when Brendan Shanahan and Brett Hull (ever heard of them?) put up 102 and 97 points respectively.
And he’s only 24.
According to Brownie it’s embarrassing that he might be our best player, but if we get 8 more years of this and give Big Thurm some more fire power with Jimmy Snuggerud and Dalibor Dvorsky coming up I take that every day of the week.
The Morning Skate 
Good read … thanks 😊
Bruce S. Weigert 3628 Kapalua Way Raleigh, NC 27610
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