NHL-ийн Сент-Луис Блюз баг 27 настай төвийн тоглогч Роберт Томасыг шинэ ахлагчаараа албан ёсоор зарлалаа.
Брэйден Шеннийг Нью-Йорк Айлендерс рүү солилцоогоор явуулсны дараа Сент-Луис Блюз багийн ахлагчийн орон тоо эзгүйрсэн байв. 2017 оны драфтын 20-р сонголтоор NHL-д орсон Роберт Томас нь тус багийн түүхэн дэх 25 дахь ахлагч болж байна. Тэрээр 2019 онд Стэнлийн цомыг хүртсэн бүрэлдэхүүнд багтаж байсан туршлагатай бөгөөд нийт 530 тоглолтод оролцож 460 оноо авсан амжилттай юм.
Багийн удирдлага ахлагчаас гадна Жэйк Нейборс, Дилан Холлоуэй, Колтон Парайко, Филип Броберг нарыг ахлагчийн орлогчоор томилсон байна. Шинэ ерөнхий менежер Александр Стин болон дасгалжуулагч Жим Монтгомери нар Роберт Томасыг багийн ирээдүйн гол хүн хэмээн онцолж, түүнийг багийн бүтцийг шинэчлэх гол удирдагч гэж үзжээ.
Роберт Томас 2022 оны долдугаар сард байгуулсан 8 жилийн 65 сая ам.долларын гэрээнийхээ дагуу дараагийн таван улирлыг Сент-Луис Блюз багт үргэлжлүүлэн өнгөрүүлэх юм. Багийн зүгээс түүнийг ахлагчаар томилсон нь ирэх улирлуудад амжилт гаргах хүсэл эрмэлзэлтэй байгаагаа илэрхийлж буй хэрэг гэж мэргэжилтнүүд дүгнэж байна.
Дэлгэрэнгүйг эх сурвалжаас харах
↓Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
ST. LOUIS — Robert Thomas is the newest captain of the St. Louis Blues.
The team announced on Wednesday that it’s giving the “C” to the 27-year-old center, who was drafted No. 20 in 2017 and will be entering his ninth season in 2026-27. Thomas succeeds Brayden Schenn and is the 25th captain in team history.
The Blues also announced that forwards Jake Neighbours and Dylan Holloway and defensemen Colton Parayko and Philip Broberg will be alternate captains.
Thomas was a member of the 2019 Stanley Cup team. He assisted on Pat Maroon’s double-overtime goal in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinal against the Dallas Stars, pushing the team into the conference final.
Thomas has played 530 regular-season games, producing 132 goals, 328 assists (fifth in franchise history) and 460 points (tied for 10th). He’splayed 52 playoff games, posting six goals and 26 points.
He has five seasons left on the eight-year, $65 million contract ($8.125 million average annual value) he signed in July 2022.
After Schenn was traded to the New York Islanders in March, leaving the Blues captaincy unfilled, Thomas was considered a top candidate.
The native of Aurora, Ontario, was the subject of trade rumors himself last season, but told The Athletic in July that after several meetings with new general manager Alexander Steen this summer, he felt “like a big part of leadership in trying to build something special here.”
He did not shy away from the idea of being asked to wear the “C.”
“I’ve been very fortunate to be a captain before and love taking on that responsibility,” Thomas told The Athletic at the time. “I have a lot of confidence in my ability as a player and who I am as a person and feel like I’d be a great leader. Whether it’s (captain) or not, I’ll continue to elevate myself and take over a bigger voice.”
Parayko was named an alternate captain in December 2020, and Neighbours and Broberg were both tapped for the role at the end of the 2025-26 season. This will be the first time Holloway has been given this sort of leadership designation.
The Blues will hold a news conference on Thursday with Steen, coach Jim Montgomery and Thomas.
Did the Blues make the right choice?
Yes.
If the Blues and Thomas were recommitting to each other following last season’s trade reports, putting the “C” on him was the right move.
There’s never been any question about the 2024 All-Star’s talent, but there has been some concern over the years about his leadership. That waned after Schenn departed and Thomas was counted on to be a bigger voice of the team, which he was.
Some fans may say Parayko would’ve been a good choice, and they’re not wrong. He’s played the third-most regular-season games in franchise history (800) and is respected in the locker room. But the soft-spoken defenseman is 33 and would’ve been traded to the Buffalo Sabres last season if he had agreed to waive his no-trade clause. His future with the organization is a bit uncertain.
Neighbours, meanwhile, has been viewed as captain material for a while and could get that opportunity one day.
What does it say about the Blues’ future?
On the surface, naming the best player on your roster the captain doesn’t indicate much.
But by keeping Thomas this summer and now giving him the “C,” the Blues are committing to being a contender sooner rather than later. He was vocal in saying the team was further along on its path to contention than many believed, and if he’s on board with management after discussions this summer, they must share the same vision.
However, that doesn’t mean Steen is going to rush things.
As I wrote in my 10 bold predictions this week, the Blues’ core is made up of skilled players in their early 20s who may not be ready to compete for a top-three spot in the Central Division this season. But let’s not forget Thomas is just 27 and under contract on a team-friendly deal for the next five seasons, so he’ll still be around when they’re ready.
I don’t know that the Blues were truly going to move Thomas last season. Former GM Doug Armstrong said he had to explore all of his options, and that was understandable, even with Thomas. But patience prevailed, communication was restored, and now the club has a new/old face of the franchise.
