The Utah Mammoth had real interest in St. Louis Blues center Robert Thomas before the trade deadline, but the move never came together. And after Utah’s 4-2 first-round playoff loss to the Vegas Golden Knights in 2026, the question lingers: would Thomas have been enough to change the outcome?
He would have helped. That much is hard to argue.
Thomas has been a steady producer throughout his career, and he led the Blues in points during the 2025-26 season. A year ago, he put up 25 goals and 64 points in 64 games.
He finished the season strong as St. Louis tried to chase down a wildcard spot, but the Blues still couldn’t catch Utah.
Even so, the Mammoth were right to walk away.
The price was the problem. Utah would have had to give up a major piece of its future for the 27-year-old, and according to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, St.
Louis was asking for either Caleb Desnoyers or Tij Iginla. Those are not throw-in prospects.
Those are the kind of players a franchise dreams about building around.
Desnoyers was the 4th overall pick in the 2025 NHL draft, and Utah sees him as one of its future stars. Iginla, taken 6th overall in the 2024 NHL draft, has only boosted his stock since then. He exploded for 41 goals and 49 assists in the WHL in the 2025-26 season and has become one of the best prospects in hockey.
Both players are only 19, and both are basically off-limits. That is especially true of Iginla, who appears determined to make the jump to the NHL.
Thomas is a quality player, and he likely would have given Utah a better shot at pushing deeper into the postseason. But surrendering either Desnoyers or Iginla would have been a massive overpay. The Mammoth’s future ceiling with those two still in the system is higher than what Thomas alone could have delivered.
In Other News...
Why Utah Suddenly Prioritized Anders Lee And Vincent Trocheck
Utahs offseason shopping list was shaped by a familiar playoff lesson: the team needed more force around the crease. After a first-round loss to the Vegas Golden Knights exposed a lack of physical presence in front of the net, the Mammoth moved to add Vincent Trocheck and Anders Lee, two forwards whose games are built on grit, traffic and second chances. General manager Bill Armstrong made it clear the priority was improving the inside game, not just adding skill for skills sake.
Lee and Trocheck fit that mandate in different but complementary ways. Lee brings the kind of net-front edge that can turn a cycle into chaos, while Trocheck adds a hard-nosed, versatile presence who can win faceoffs and make life uncomfortable for defenders. For a Utah team that wants to be harder to play against, the question now is whether those additions can change the look and feel of the offense when the games tighten again. [Read more 🡒]