Former St. Louis Blues First-Round Pick Hit with Devastating News, Placed on Injured Reserve

St. Louis Blues forward Robert Thomas will be out due to an ankle fracture, it was announced Wednesday. His injury is serious enough to be ruled out for at least six weeks before getting re-evaluated to see how well he has recovered.

The team immediately placed him on the injured reserve list in response to Thomas's condition. The injury occurred during a game against the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday night when, early in the third, Thomas blocked a shot. After his injury, he did not return to the ice, and the Blues ultimately lost 3-2.

After the game, he took X-rays to see what the injury was. The next morning, he did not attend practice with his team, which probably is an indicator that things must be pretty serious, and he could see a doctor further. Prior to the injury, Thomas had a good start this season, with one goal and five assists in six games. Last season was his breakout year in the league after scoring 26 goals and 60 assists for a total of 86 points in 82 games. He then got to his first NHL All-Star Game appearance of his career. Let's not forget that Thomas is also a Stanley Cup champion.

Thomas was the first-round draft pick back in 2017 and has played his entire seven-year career with the Blues. Thomas was even with several Edmonton Oilers players this summer when news of the Blues sending offer sheets for Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway broke out. The team will now need to rely more on those two players in Thomas' absence. Thomas is in year four of an eight-year, $65-million contract that carries an annual cap hit of $8.13 million. The Blues, no question, are going to miss him as they try to get through the early part of the season without one of their true top players.

The injury to Robert Thomas now comes at the most inopportune time for himself and the St. Louis Blues. While his initial prognosis is six weeks, that ice time he will be absent from is surely going to leave an offensive hole that will be sorely missed. Without him now, the Blues must make the necessary adjustments as one of their star forwards goes off to rest in rehabilitating his way back into the lineup, with hope for a full recovery.