Robert Thomas is entering the 2026-27 season with more than just the usual expectations that come with being the St. Louis Blues’ top center. He’s also closing in on a few spots in the franchise record book.
At 27, Thomas has already built a strong résumé in St. Louis.
He has appeared in 530 NHL games, all with the Blues, and has produced 132 goals and 328 assists for 460 points with a plus-68 rating. Drafted 20th overall in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, he was still a teenager when he helped the Blues win the Stanley Cup in 2019.
Since then, he has grown into the team’s primary center and one of the NHL’s more efficient playmakers. His recent numbers back that up: 60 assists in both 2023-24 and 2024-25, followed by 64 points in 64 games last season despite missing time.
The next milestone in his sights is Brian Sutter on the Blues’ all-time assists list. Thomas sits fifth with 328 assists, just six behind Sutter’s 333.
Because he has already posted 50-plus assists in a season multiple times, that jump could happen quickly. If things go normally, he may be fourth on that list within the first few games of the season.
From there, Alex Pietrangelo is the next name to chase. Pietrangelo’s 341 assists are only 14 ahead of Thomas, which puts third place well within reach early in the year.
That would leave Thomas behind only Bernie Federko’s 721 and Brett Hull’s 409. Those two are still a long way off, but third place by season’s end looks very realistic for a player who has handled the Blues’ puck-moving duties for years.
There’s also a points race worth watching. Thomas is at 460 career points, and another 37 would move him past Alexander Steen (496), Pavol Demitra (493), David (465) and Brayden Schenn (460).
He has topped 60 points in four of his last five seasons, so that target fits squarely within his range. Getting into the top five, though, is a tougher climb, with Federko, Hull, Sutter, Gary Unger and Vladimir Tarasenko all ahead of him.
For the Blues, Thomas’ season is shaping up as a steady march through franchise history. With his vision, faceoff work and all-around consistency, he’s positioned to keep moving up the board while reinforcing just how central he has become to St. Louis.
In Other News...
Blues Keep Building Girls Hockey With A Weekend St. Louis Fans Should Notice
The Blues are putting another major push behind girls hockey this weekend, with the second annual Girls Tier 1 Ice Breaker Invitational set for Aug. 14-16 at the Centene Community Ice Center. The event brings together top 12U and 14U programs from around the country for a round-robin tournament, but it is built to be more than a showcase of young talent. The Blues have folded in mentorship sessions with professional women hockey players and off-ice activities aimed at helping players grow as athletes and people.
It is all part of a broader Girls Hockey Development Program that has become a real point of emphasis for the organization, especially as it looks to expand participation and create a stronger pipeline in the sport. For St. Louis fans, the weekend is another reminder that the clubs reach goes beyond the NHL roster, with the Blues trying to make the rink a more welcoming and productive place for the next generation of players. [Read more 🡒]
Blues Face A Costly Buchnevich Question They Cant Ignore
Pavel Buchnevich was supposed to be part of the Blues long-term core when he put pen to paper on his six-year extension in July 2024, a deal that locked in a major commitment from St. Louis and gave him the kind of security teams usually reserve for their most trusted scorers. Instead, the contract has become one of the organizations more pressing roster puzzles, because the Blues now have to manage his salary slot while also planning for other upcoming extensions and trying to keep their cap picture flexible.
The concern is not just the size of the deal, but the direction of the production. Buchnevichs numbers have trended down since the extension, and that leaves St. Louis weighing uncomfortable options that no contender likes to think about this early in a contract. A trade would be complicated, a buyout would bring its own baggage, and the simplest path may be the one the Blues are hoping for most: a rebound that makes the whole conversation less urgent. [Read more 🡒]