The St. Louis Blues and Robert Thomas have cleared the air, and for now, the offseason drama that had been building around him looks to be off the board.
After multiple conversations between Thomas and incoming GM Alexander Steen, the two sides are back on the same page. Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic reported this week that Thomas is staying with the Blues.
“I feel that a large part of the leadership here is dedicated to building something special, whether that’s now or in a few years. This has answered quite a few of the questions, ‘Do you see me in this plan?’
and ‘How long might this project take?’ We sat down to discuss several details that are important to us.
Many of them are shared. We agreed to move forward together.”
Thomas is set to begin the fourth year of his eight-year, $65 million contract in 2026-2027. The concern for him was simple: where the Blues stood, and whether they planned to be competitive enough for the second half of that deal to make sense in St. Louis.
Elsewhere in Canada, the Montreal Canadiens are still getting calls on Arber Xhekaj, but they are not rushing to move him. Teams have checked in, yet Montreal appears reluctant to part with the physical defenseman unless they are convinced to do so.
Xhekaj wants to stay, and his camp has made that clear. Agent Brian Bartlett said, “He loves playing in Montreal, he loves the fans, he loves the city…Our hope collectively…is that we can find a way to make it work in Montreal.”
The situation still has layers to it. Xhekaj is a restricted free agent, and Montreal’s defensive depth gives the club some flexibility. At the same time, both Xhekaj and Jayden Struble are looking for bigger roles, which is why other teams will keep watching closely.
The Ottawa Senators also have their own contract business to sort out. Drake Batherson is in the middle of negotiations, and the next deal is being measured against names like Adrian Kempe and Alex Tuch. Ottawa is also working toward an extension for Artem Zub.
And then there’s the bigger money conversation hanging over the league.
Massive contracts are changing the way the NHL does business, with Leo Carlsson, Macklin Celebrini, and Connor Bedard all helping reset expectations. The next number that could really turn heads may belong to Matthew Schaefer of the New York Islanders, with some projecting a deal that could reach a $20 million AAV.
The question is whether Schaefer gets there first, or whether that territory is claimed by a star like Cale Makar or Quinn Hughes.
Maybe it ends up being Connor McDavid. As Adam Proteau of The Hockey News wrote, “To his credit, McDavid has never prioritized being the planet’s highest-paid player.
But at some point, he needs to be paid closer to market value. That means he should push into the $20 million range when he becomes a UFA in 2028, because even that could be a good deal for him and his team in the not-so-distant future.”
In Other News...
Blues Winger Snub Just Fueled A Bigger Debate About Their Ceiling
The NHL Networks annual top 20 winger list arrived without a single Blues name on it, and that omission says as much about perception as it does about the roster. St. Louis has spent the summer trying to shift the conversation around its forward group, and the absence of any Blues winger from the rankings only sharpened the spotlight on the clubs younger options, especially Jimmy Snuggerud and Dylan Holloway.
Both players appear to have landed just outside the cut, which makes the snub feel less like a dismissal and more like a marker of how far the Blues still have to climb. With several Central Division wingers crowding the top of the list, the gap is easy to see, but it also leaves room for the idea that St. Louis could close it quickly if its young talent takes the expected step this season. [Read more 🡒]
Jimmy Snuggerud Just Raised The Stakes For The Blues
Jimmy Snuggeruds second act in St. Louis is carrying a little more weight than the usual young-player progression. After a rookie season that produced 20 goals and 50 points, the Blues are looking at him not just as a promising winger, but as a player whose growth could help define where this group is headed. Theres already been a level of belief in his upside inside the organization, and it helps explain why the Blues have been willing to lean into a future built around him.
Now the pressure shifts to what comes next, because the conversation around Snuggerud is no longer only about talent. St. Louis wants to know whether he can build on those numbers, and fans are watching closely because his production will shape both his long-term value and the teams hopes of staying in the mix. If he takes another step, the Blues will have a much bigger decision on their hands when contract talks eventually move to the forefront. [Read more 🡒]
Blues Prospects Are Turning Heads In A Big Way Overseas
Three St. Louis Blues prospects are starting to make noise on the international stage, with The Athletics scouts projecting three of them to land spots at the upcoming World Junior Championship. Tynan Lawrence is expected to suit up for Team Canada, while Milton Gastrin and Love Harenstam are projected to represent Team Sweden, a sign that the organizations pipeline is drawing attention well beyond North America.
The tournament is set for Edmonton and Red Deer at the end of December and into early January, giving all three a chance to showcase their development against some of the best young talent in the world. For the Blues, it is another encouraging marker that their prospect base is not just deep, but beginning to earn meaningful recognition on a stage that often helps define the next wave of NHL players. [Read more 🡒]