The St. Louis Blues have locked up centre Robert Thomas long term, inking him to an eight-year contract worth $65 million.
Thomas’ Offensive Production Exploded Last Season
The 23-year-old Thomas blew his old career highs out of the water in 2021-22, scoring 20 goals and adding 57 assists for 77 points in his fourth overall campaign. That nearly doubled his previous career-best points total, of 42 in the 2019-20 season.
Related: Blues 2021-22 Report Cards: Robert Thomas
Thomas, an elite passer who also possesses a lethal shot, will be under team control through 2030-31. His new contract, which carries an AAV of $8.125 million, will not kick in until 2023-24 as he has one year left on his current two-year deal.
Thomas was originally drafted by the Blues 20th overall in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. For someone so young, he’s already highly decorated: he won a Memorial Cup with the OHL’s London Knights in 2016, a gold medal at the 2018 World Junior Championships, and a Stanley Cup with the Blues in 2019.
In 241-career games for the club over four seasons, Thomas has 42 goals and 122 assists for 164 points and a plus-25 rating.
Thomas Wanted to Stay Put with Perennial Contender Blues
“St. Louis is where I want to be,” Thomas told stlouisblues.com. “From the moment I got here, it’s been a second home to me, and every year that’s gone by, I’ve loved playing for the Blues more and more. Since I’ve been here, I’ve felt like we’ve had a chance at winning the Stanley Cup every season and I truly believe there will be many more opportunities to win it. That’s why I couldn’t be happier to be part of it for the next nine seasons.”
The Blues have become a perennial contender since going from league bottom feeders to Stanley Cup Champions in a whirlwind six month period back in 2018-19. They have qualified for the postseason in six straight seasons and last season, reached the second round but were knocked out in six games by the eventual-Cup-winning Colorado Avalanche.
The Blues should be an electrifying and competitive team again next season, and Thomas — who is only bound to get even better as he matures and is already on the cusp of “superstar” status — will be a big top-six contributor in St. Louis in 2022-23 and far beyond.
Check out THW’s 2022 Free Agent Signing Tracker for up-to-date news on all player signings in the coming days.