Major new details regarding Robert Thomas and the trade deadline
Photo credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images
Robert Thomas will be finishing this season playing for head coach Jim Montgomery after all. The massive trade deadline noise was entirely fabricated.
The St. Louis Blues' top center finally cleared the air on Monday afternoon following weeks of intense media scrutiny.
Speaking candidly with Jeff Marek on The Sheet podcast, the 26-year-old completely shut down the rampant trade speculation. He was never packing his bags.
Thomas confirmed that general manager Doug Armstrong never approached him about waiving his strict no-trade clause at any point this season.
He also made it crystal clear that he never walked into the front office demanding a ticket out of town.
"Everything I heard was from insiders and random online sources," Thomas explained on the show, pushing back against the recent narrative.
A Roster in Transition
The blockbuster rumors made sense on the surface given where the franchise sits in the Central Division standings right now.
St. Louis has endured a highly disappointing campaign and currently sits well outside the Western Conference playoff picture.
Management officially threw in the towel last week and fully embraced a seller's mentality ahead of the March 6 deadline.
Whispers suggested Armstrong was demanding a massive haul for his star center. Reports indicated the asking price was the equivalent of four first-round picks.
Thomas had posted consecutive 80-point seasons before seeing a slight dip in his offensive output and shooting percentage this winter.
His massive long-term contract makes any potential move incredibly complicated for acquiring teams navigating a tight salary cap.
While their top center stayed put, the Blues locker room still looks vastly different today than it did a week ago.
The front office aggressively shipped out captain Brayden Schenn and veteran defenseman Justin Faulk before the Friday afternoon cutoff.
They even had a framework in place to send Colton Parayko to the Buffalo Sabres. The veteran blue liner ultimately exercised his trade protection to block the move.
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MARS 9|45 ANSWERS Major new details regarding Robert Thomas and the trade deadline Will Robert Thomas finish his current contract in St. Louis? | ||
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