The St. Louis Blues have had a lot of turnover at center over the last few years. We can go back to the Ryan O'Reilly trade, and since then there's been a rotating cast behind Robert Thomas. Brayden Schenn bounced around the middle six, Pius Suter stepped in as a free agent signing last year--heck, even Pavel Buchnevich got the occasional look down the middle.
There's a chance now, though that the Blues have a one-two punch locked in for the next few years.
The centers
Robert Thomas is the Blues' first-line center--full stop. While some may quibble with his goal-scoring ability (the most he's ever had was 26 in 2023-24), he's scored at over a point-per-game rate for the last three years, is strong defensively, and wins over half his faceoffs. He's one of the most underrated pivots in the NHL.
As for the Blues' second-line center, things have been murky the last few seasons--but trading for Mason McTavish at the draft could be the long-term solution the Blues have been waiting for. McTavish has a lot to prove this season after last year's disappointing performance, but a change of scenery and a proper training camp should do wonders for the 23-year-old center.
How do they compare to the rest of the league?
Over at The Athletic, they ranked every top-six center duo in the league. The Blues wound up in Tier 5, which represents "middle of the pack": a star-level 1C and a below-average 2C.
That's a fair assessment: the uncertainty surrounding McTavish is what dings the Blues here. Thomas is a set-it-and-forget-it player, but the Blues' strength down the middle is going to come down to whether or not McTavish can live up to this draft pedigree as a third-overall pick--that'll mean cleaning up his defensive play, first and foremost. If McTavish gets his career back on track, check back next year, because the Blues' center depth could leap up the rankings.
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