Insider reveals Blues Central Division foe’s push to land Thomas

This year’s NHL trade deadline featured plenty of drama leading up to March 6. One of the names that few believed would stay in St. Louis was Robert Thomas. But the deadline came and went, and Thomas remained with the Blues.

There have been plenty of names thrown around as potential suitors. The Boston Bruins were one. The biggest that we heard about was the Utah Mammoth.

But according to Minnesota Wild insider Michael Russo, the Wild “went hard after Robert Thomas.”

Wait a minute… back it up.

So, just about every team in the league kicked the tires on Thomas at one point or another. Some teams didn’t have a chance, while others made some headway.

As for the Wild, the discussion seems to have gotten pretty intense. Russo spoke to Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos and Justin Bourne, highlighting how the Blues’ Central Division rival is desperately seeking a first-line center.

While the conversation focused predominantly on the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews, Russo underscored just how much the Wild were interested in Thomas.

“I have no doubt they (Minnesota Wild) went hard after Robert Thomas… so, we’ll see what they do this offseason.”

Could that statement mean the Wild might circle back to Thomas in the offseason? It’s likely. Russo believes the Wild will be looking into Matthews, Thomas, and the New York Rangers’ Vincent Trocheck.

It’s unlikely anything happens at this point. But once the Wild’s season ends, chatter could instantly pick up surrounding Thomas.

Wild don’t have the pieces to make deal with Blues

So, if the Wild went so hard after Thomas, why didn’t a move go through?

There’s a twofold answer to that question. First, the Blues had a stratospheric price on Thomas. The Blues wanted a high-end prospect, a first-round pick, and potentially other pieces. A good measuring stick would be what the Wild gave up for Quinn Hughes.

That brings us to the second part of this equation. As Russo pointed out, the Wild just don’t have the pieces to make a major deal work. The Wild do have some solid prospects, but GM Bill Guerin is reluctant to move them.

Those pieces include goaltending prospect Jesper Wallstedt, NCAA star Charlie Stramel, and potentially additional first-round picks.

Wallstedt and Stramel could be a good starting point. But they may not be enough to move the needle far enough.

As such, if the Wild were serious about landing Thomas in the offseason, the package would have to be much more substantial than initially thought.

There’s a possibility in which the Wild cough up whatever they can to land Thomas. That would involve getting bounced in the first round by whoever they face. If an early playoff exit is particularly ugly, the Wild may have no other choice but to do whatever it takes to get a deal done.