The NHL trade deadline is quickly approaching, and multiple teams are looking to improve their roster for a playoff push. One of the more sought-after players could be Robert Thomas of the St. Louis Blues. Multiple teams are rumored to be targeting Thomas before Friday's trade deadline.
Now, it seems the cost for acquiring Thomas is being set, and it is high, according to NHL insider Pierre LeBrun, as he spoke on TSN's Early Trading.
“I will say that in talking to people who have an understanding of what the Blues are asking, I was told that as of last night, the price was still astronomical for Thomas. By the way, as it should be, I mean, 26-year-old No. 1 centres on a decent contract don’t come around very often,” LeBrun said.
The 26-year-old Thomas is in the third year of a eight year deal he signed in 2022 and started in the 2023-24 campaign. He currently has an AAV of 8.125 million and a no-trade clause. Still, if a deal can be struck, it would be a great contract and player coming into a franchise.
“I think St. Louis is well within its rights to be asking for the moon for Thomas. I mean, look at how much Quinn Hughes, a No. 1 defenceman, fetched earlier this year from Minnesota getting him from Vancouver. These prices should be high for these types of players,” LeBrun added.
The Vancouver Canucks got a haul for Quinn Hughes, bringing in Zeev Buium, Marco Rossi, Liam Ohgren, and a first-round pick. The question becomes, will a team be willing to pay that much for Thomas? Chris Johnston of The Athletic is reporting there may be a team willing to.
“Buffalo is believed to be dangling the equivalent of multiple 1st-rounders in Robert Thomas talks,” Johnston reported while also confirming a report from TSN's Darren Dreger that Buffalo and St. Louis have talks that are heating up for Thomas.
“I’m not convinced that it’s going to lower that much by Friday’s deadline, because again, the Blues don’t have to move him. As one team executive told me: Is this about the Blues really getting a full sense of the market for him and then circling back in the off-season on a lot of these discussions? It could be, but I will also say this: I also talked to another team executive who was actually convinced that Thomas will move by Friday’s deadline. So we shall see,” LeBrun concluded his thoughts on Thomas with.
The Sabres are expected to be buyers at the trade deadline, and it seems if they want Thomas, they are going to have to pay up, as there is not going to be a last-second discount. Regardless of it is the Sabres or not, it seems likely that by the end of the day Friday, Thomas is going to have a new city to call home.
