Last night, the St. Louis Blues just became the main characters of the Trade Deadline, with multiple reports circling their biggest players being sold to playoff contenders. One of those key players, who is seemingly the biggest fish in the trade board sea, is Robert Thomas.
There are a number of teams that are bidding on Thomas, and it is really in his court as to whether or where he wants to go. Detroit, Utah, and Buffalo are the front-runners, but only one has seemingly gotten the full support of their fan base behind this potential deal.
The Buffalo Sabres played last night against their former captain, Jack Eichel, and the Vegas Golden Knights. They won the game 3-2, in a rowdy and raucous atmosphere, which was highlighted with a thunderous, roaring chant for "Robert Thomas". These fans know who they want, and they want new GM Jarmo Kekalainen to strike the deal.
That franchise has been out of the playoffs for 14-straight seasons, and after being near the bottom of the Atlantic all season, they now sit in a tight race between second-place and the second wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference. Thomas could be the key to pushing them into the playoffs and making a serious run.
Fans have a direct influence on the game, whether you want to believe it or not. Yes, sports are a business, and the Front Office makes the definitive and final decisions on everything related to the team. But having over 19,000 die-hard fans chanting another player's name, who is currently on another team that isn't even playing in that arena, has to be the tipping point for this trade. The Sabres have to listen to their fans on this one, and the Blues have to enjoy the return for their most valuable player.