Robert Thomas is stepping into unfamiliar ground as the Blues’ captain, and the first week of the season has already shown how quickly that job can turn messy.
St. Louis opened with the kind of night every team wants to bottle up: a 4-0 shutout of the Dallas Stars, backed by a strong defensive effort and a huge performance from Joel Hofer.
But the next game was the exact opposite. The Blues looked flat in a 6-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche, and Jordan Binnington’s night was, as the source put it, questionable.
Two games, two extremes, and now Thomas is the one who has to help keep the whole thing from tilting.
That’s the real test for him in this new role. Captaincy is never just about what happens on the bench or in the room.
It’s about whether the team can stay steady when things go sideways. After a strong opener and a rough follow-up, Thomas is being asked to show that his presence can help the Blues avoid slipping into a bigger early-season funk.
There’s another layer to it, too: the offense has to come from him.
Through two games, Thomas has no points and no shots on goal. He’s still averaging nearly 20 minutes a night, but he hasn’t been able to make anything happen offensively.
For a player who is viewed as St. Louis’ most talented offensive threat, that’s a quiet start the Blues can’t afford to let linger.
The reality is simple enough. Thomas matters in plenty of ways beyond the scoresheet, but the Blues are still counting on him to drive the attack.
If he’s not producing, that puts pressure on the rest of the lineup in a hurry. And St.
Louis doesn’t have the luxury of assuming someone else will just step in and take over.
Still, there’s a reason for some patience this early. The Blues are dealing with an early rash of injuries, and the goaltending has been shaky enough to weigh on the group. They also can’t do what the Avalanche did and just bury the problem by scoring eight goals to cover up defensive mistakes.
Even so, the captain has to be the one setting the tone. St. Louis gets another division matchup Tuesday night against the Chicago Blackhawks, and that’s another chance for the Blues to look more like the team that handled Dallas than the one that was overwhelmed by Colorado.
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Blues Could Help Solve An Oilers Problem With One Depth Move
The Oilers are still sorting through a forward group hit by injuries, and one idea floating around is the kind of lateral swap that tries to fix one problem without creating another. Edmonton has been exploring defense-for-forward trades instead of chasing a splashy addition, with Ty Emberson, Spencer Stastney and Shakir Mukhamadullin among the blue-line names in the mix and Mark Kastelic, Oskar Sundqvist and Kevin Stenlund listed as possible targets as teams weigh cap space and roster balance.
From the Blues side, that type of deal has some appeal because it could address a need on the back end without forcing a bigger shakeup elsewhere. St. Louis has its own blue-line injuries to consider, which makes a depth defenseman part of the conversation rather than just a throw-in, and the structure of these talks leaves enough room for a tidy fit if the sides decide the math works. [Read more 🡒]
Blues Already Face A Bigger Early Problem Than Their 1-1 Start
A 1-1 start usually feels manageable in October, especially when one win comes against a division rival like Dallas and the lone loss comes against a Colorado team that can pressure anyone. The Blues have already seen both ends of their goaltending picture too, with Joel Hofer looking sharp in the opener before Jordan Binnington had a rougher night in the setback to the Avalanche. Add in Adam Jiriceks NHL debut and the steady buzz around prospects such as Justin Carbonneau, and there were at least a few early signs of depth and promise.
The bigger concern is the health picture, because the Blues have already had to shuffle their lineup before the season has settled in. Alexey Toropchenko is now on injured reserve, joining a growing list of absences that can quickly test a roster built to stay competitive over a long year. For a club trying to sort out its early rhythm, the challenge is no longer just about points in the standings - it is about how long the lineup can keep absorbing these hits before the margin gets a lot thinner. [Read more 🡒]
Blues Power Play Problem Could Force A Change Fast
The Blues opened their 2026-27 season on a mixed note, beating the Dallas Stars before getting handled by the Colorado Avalanche, and the early concern has already shifted from the results to the power play. St. Louis went through the preseason without a goal on 18 chances, and the drought has carried right into the regular season, where the first two games have not produced a conversion.
At some point, the frustration can stop being a short-term slump and start becoming a lineup issue, which is why the Blues may have to look at their top unit if the trend continues. Philip Broberg is the name to watch as a possible answer, with his role potentially growing at Cam Fowlers expense if the club decides it needs a different look quickly. [Read more 🡒]