The St. Louis Blues are without a captain for the 2026-27 season following the departure of former captain Brayden Schenn. Now, a slew of alternates will be taking over the leadership duties and leading the next era.
One of those players is Robert Thomas, who is pretty much the frontrunner to wear the “C” next. He is the best player on this roster, and it is painfully obvious.
But as the first-line center, how does he stack up against some similar centers around the NHL? Are the Blues getting the most bang for their buck with No. 18, or are they overpaying for the loyalty?
Let’s talk about it.
Comparing to other solid first-line centers
Let's face it, pitting Thomas against the likes of Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and Macklin Celebrini is an automatic loss. Even against a bitter rival from Chicago, recently re-signed Connor Bedard is also leagues away from No. 18.
Moving down a tier to the group of centers like Dylan Larkin, Jack Hughes, and Tim Stützle, there is a little bit more of an argument to be made.
Thomas is on the hook with the Blues until the end of the 2030-31 season for $8.125 million AAV. Hughes is on the books with New Jersey for $8 million AAV; Larkin is on the way out of Detroit but has a tab of $8.7 million AAV. Stützle is bringing home $8.35 million from Ottawa as he becomes the new go-to guy following the then first-line center, Brady Tkachuk, as he moves to Florida.
When looking at these four centers, each plays a distinct type of game, but each is a building block for the first-line trio. Here is what all four did last season in terms of point production.
Robert Thomas | 25 goals | 39 assists | 64 points |
|---|---|---|---|
Tim Stützle | 34 goals | 49 assists | 83 points |
Jack Hughes | 27 goals | 50 assists | 77 points |
Dylan Larkin | 34 goals | 33 assists | 67 points |
All four teams that these players play on did not make the playoffs last season, and all are in a similar standing as the Blues in their divisions. Not a playoff team yet, but on their way.
Thomas is sticking in with the rest of these top-tier centers and is doing so without the type of talent around them. A rookie Jimmy Snuggerud and emerging Dylan Holloway pale in comparison to the aforementioned Tkachuk for Stützle or Timo Meier for Hughes.
As No. 18 enters his prime, and the last four years of his contract are set to begin, expect him to really elevate his game. If the first line plays as it did to close out last season, there is no reason not to believe that next season shows Thomas at the head of this pack of centers.
The Blues are getting younger, and Thomas is going to be a focal point from both an on-ice and off-ice perspective. He is the future of this franchise, whilst also being this team's most valuable player. Among those elite centers listed above, he certainly belongs in that group.
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