Robert Thomas is already one of the central pieces of the St. Louis Blues’ forward group, and the organization appears to be treating him that way for the long haul. Trade chatter aside, the Blues seem to have him lined up as their top-line center for years to come.
Last season, Thomas played 64 games and produced 25 goals and 39 assists for 64 points. He was steady throughout the year, but his strongest run came over the final 22 games, when he piled up 31 points. Even with that kind of production, there’s still one clear way for him to raise his ceiling: he needs to shoot the puck more.
Thomas has built his reputation as a distributor. More than 70% of his career points have come via assists, and in four of the last five seasons he has finished with more than 45 helpers.
He’s also reached 60 assists in a season a couple of times during that span. That playmaking touch has long been a major reason he’s been such an important part of the Blues’ attack.
Still, if Thomas wants to be seen around the league as a true top-line center, the goal total has to keep climbing. He has scored 25 or more goals in two of the last three seasons, but last year he was less willing to fire the puck.
He averaged just 1.43 shots on goal per game and 2.88 shot attempts per game, both major drops from the 2024-25 season and both among the worst marks in the league. That kind of dip makes last season’s numbers harder to count on being repeated.
That matters because Thomas is one of the engines of the offense. The Blues were effective with him in the setup role, but if they’re going to take another step in 2026-27, the top line needs to bring more than just one scoring threat. When all three forwards can finish, the unit becomes much tougher to defend and creates more room for everyone.
The encouraging part for St. Louis is that Thomas is already getting to dangerous areas.
NHL Edge shows he had 43 high-danger shots and 33 mid-range shots, both above league average and good for the 67th and 66th percentiles. In other words, he’s finding the right spots.
The next move is simple: be a little more aggressive and let more of those chances go.
Thomas has been an effective center for the Blues. If he starts shooting more, he gives them a better shot at the kind of offensive jump that can push them beyond expectations next season.
In Other News...
Blues May Be Sitting On A Skilled Winger Worth Watching
Dmitri Buchelnikov is the kind of winger the Blues can afford to keep an eye on without needing to rush anything. The Russian right wing was originally drafted by Detroit in 2022 before his rights were traded to St. Louis, and since then he has kept building his rsum in the KHL. His production has trended upward, highlighted by a breakout run with Vityaz and then an injury-shortened season with CSKA Moskova, enough to keep his name circulating as a legitimate long-term piece.
What makes Buchelnikov interesting from St. Louis perspective is the blend of skill and uncertainty around his eventual NHL fit. He has the sort of offensive tools that could matter in a top-six role, but there are still questions about how that translates against NHL competition and what the path looks like to get there. For now, the Blues are simply sitting on a player whose development points toward a possible impact window around the 2027-28 season, which makes him a worthwhile name to remember. [Read more 🡒]
Cam Fowler Could Decide How Safe The Blues Blue Line Really Is
The Blues spent the offseason trying to make their blue line sturdier, bringing in Brandon Carlo from the Toronto Maple Leafs and leaning into Philip Broberg as the player expected to anchor the group. Even with that help, the picture still feels like it turns on Cam Fowler, whose presence gives St. Louis a veteran option with the puck but whose recent drop-off has made it harder to know just how reliable this defense can be over a full season.
Fowlers value has always been tied to whether he can drive play and hold up against top competition, and the Blues do not have much margin for error if he does not come close to that level. If he can settle back into the form that made him such an important part of the lineup, St. Louis defense looks a lot safer. If not, the additions around him may end up having to cover for a lot more than the Blues hoped. [Read more 🡒]
Colton Paraykos Quiet Blues Legacy Is Getting Hard To Ignore
Colton Paraykos place in Blues history has been building for years, one steady shift at a time. Since breaking into the NHL in 2015-16, he has become the kind of defenseman every team leans on, reliable in his own end and trusted in big moments, including St. Louis run to the 2019 Stanley Cup championship. Now he is closing in on 800 career games with the Blues, a mark that speaks less to flash than to the kind of durability and consistency that can quietly define a franchise career.
What makes the number even more notable is where it puts him in the record book. Parayko is on the verge of moving past Barrett Jackman for second place on the organizations all-time games-played list, an impressive bit of company for a player who has long been more essential than celebrated. Still under contract and expected to keep logging major minutes, he remains very much part of the present in St. Louis, even as his legacy with the club becomes harder to overlook. [Read more 🡒]