During this year’s NHL trade deadline, one of the hottest rumors involved Robert Thomas going to the Utah Mammoth. Several pundits picked up on the story, with the word being that the Mammoth got cold feet amid the Blues’ asking price.
Fair enough.
The Mammoth did not pull the trigger, instead pivoting to MacKenzie Weegar. Meanwhile, the Blues did not move Thomas, leaving him on the squad for at least the remainder of the season.
The post-deadline chatter suggests that Thomas isn’t all that safe in St. Louis. The Blues will reportedly be looking at other trade possibilities in the offseason.
But one of those possibilities won’t likely be the Mammoth. Utah locked up center Nick Schmaltz to an eight-year, $8 million AAV extension on Wednesday. That situation means they’re likely out of the running for Thomas.
It’s an interesting move since the Mammoth basically gave Schmaltz the same cap hit that Thomas has. Moreover, the idea of acquiring Thomas to supplant Schmaltz on their top line is pretty much a no-go at this point.
What all of this means is that, if the Blues are serious about trading Thomas, they’ll have to circle back on some of the other interested clubs.
Schmaltz extension does not automatically preclude Mammoth
The betting odds are that the Mammoth are essentially done talking about Thomas. But that doesn’t necessarily preclude them from making a move for Thomas. The Mammoth might still circle back to Thomas, perhaps hoping the price tag might have changed.
That seems unlikely. But there might still be a conversation at some point during the offseason. The Mammoth will have about $17 million in cap space for next season. That’s not a number. However, the Mammoth will have to take care of several UFAs.
Plus, the club will need to consider a new contract for impending RFA Barrett Hayton and look at another goalie with Vitek Vanacek set to become a free agent.
That situation might make it a bit tough for the Mammoth to work something out with the Blues. In all likelihood, St. Louis might need to chat with other clubs like the Boston Bruins or even the New York Islanders, who were reportedly in on Thomas.
It will be interesting to see if the Blues can get Thomas out the door. Otherwise, that ship may have sailed with the two sides remaining together for the foreseeable future.