A long-time rival of the St. Louis Blues, the Minnesota Wild, reportedly made a strong offer to acquire the Blues’ top player and No. 1 center, Robert Thomas.
It was no secret that at the 2026 NHL trade deadline, the Blues were willing to listen to offers on most players, including Thomas.
Thomas would have been the major move for the Blues, as no player on their roster would have brought in a better return. While Thomas’ first half of the season was riddled with underwhelming play and injuries, following the trade deadline, Thomas was a different player.
The 26-year-old finished the season with a team-high 25 goals and 64 points in 64 games, but his final 20 games saw him post 12 goals and 27 points.
If an NHL team were able to pull off a trade for Thomas, they would have reaped the benefits.
According to Michael Russo of The Athletic, the Wild reportedly offered a package that included goaltender Jesper Wallstedt and center Danila Yurov, but the Blues declined the offer. Russo also believes the Wild could revisit those discussions when Alexander Steen takes over as GM on July 1.
Why Trading Robert Thomas For Brady Tkachuk Doesn’t Make Sense For The Blues
Why Trading Robert Thomas For Brady Tkachuk Doesn't Make Sense For The Blues Brady Tkachuk hasn’t officially hit the trade market, but he has entered the rumor mill. Due to his ties to the St. Louis Blues and earlier reports about Robert Thomas’ availability, fan-made trade proposals have begun circulating. However, trading Thomas for Tkachuk would be a mistake.
Throughout the season, it was noted that the Utah Mammoth, Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens, and Detroit Red Wings were all interested in acquiring Thomas. Now that the season has concluded, it has been reported that the Ottawa Senators, and now the Wild, were in play for the former 20th overall pick of the 2017 NHL draft.
In the end, it appears that Thomas will remain with the Blues, at least for now. Thomas still has five seasons on his current eight-year, $8.125-million contract, and he is still the focal point of the Blues’ offense.
He formed a strong trio with Jimmy Snuggerud and Dylan Holloway down the stretch, and the Blues don’t really have a player who can match Thomas’ production and fill in his role.
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