St. Louis Blues: Robert Thomas Can Do No Wrong

The St. Louis Blues have given Robert Thomas the opportunity to go out and make a difference, and he is improving with every passing game.

St. Louis Blues forward Robert Thomas was given a fourth line role to begin the season, but after playing well, as well as injuries to other forwards, Thomas was given a much more significant role with the team.

The former first-round pick proved all that he could at the junior level, so it was either be good enough to play in the NHL or go back and tear up the OHL again this season because he is too young to be sent to the AHL.

Lucky for Thomas, the Blues, and their fans, he earned the right to stay with the big club, and he is making a case to stick around not only on the team but on the top lines.

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Everything about Thomas’ game has improved since his NHL debut against the Winnipeg Jets. He’s creating chances, his defense is slowly improving, and maybe most importantly, his faceoffs are progressing in the right direction as well.

Thomas has four points on the year, and all of them are assists. However, anyone watching the game can tell you that he has created offensive momentum every time he touches the puck.

He is also inching closer to recording his first career NHL goal. Although he has not registered many shots on goal, Thomas has been in prime scoring areas and has been denied by some superior goaltending.

Thomas’ defense has also improved, for the season, he is at an even zero in +/- and has been disciplined enough to keep him out of the penalty box. He has only committed one minor penalty all season which is impressive for a young player.

Something that should not go unnoticed over the past handful of games is Thomas’ presence on special teams. Blues head coach Mike Yeo has given so much responsibility to the young forward, partly because of necessity due to injuries, but mostly because he has earned it.

We’ve also seen him center the second line in previous games. His faceoff percentage has been as high as 70% in a game against the San Jose Sharks on November 9, and although he has not been at 70% recently, his faceoffs have been getting stronger and stronger.

While Thomas’ game is not perfect, the positives far outweigh the negatives. His creativity and elusiveness are unmatched on the Blues. We discussed the possibility of a position change for Thomas as a result of him playing so well. He deserves to be on one of the top three lines for the foreseeable future.