After NHL Trade Rumors, Robert Thomas Named 25th Captain in Blues History

St. Louis Blues center Robert Thomas has gone from rumored trade candidate to team captain.

Thomas has been named the 25th captain in Blues franchise history, the team announced Wednesday.

Colton Parayko, Philip Broberg, Jake Neighbours and Dylan Holloway will serve as assistant captains, according to the Blues.

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Thomas was subject to trade rumors ahead of the midseason trade deadline last March. The Minnesota Wild made an offer for him that was declined by the Blues, according to The Athletic's Michael Russo .

Those trade talks were in part because Thomas is signed through the 2030-31 season at an $8.125 million AAV, a relative bargain for a first-line center in a market that has ballooned in an offseason capped off by Macklin Celebrini's record $18.8 million AAV deal.

Thomas told The Athletic's Jeremy Rutherford in July the Blues had never asked him to waive his no-trade clause.

He also told Rutherford he was involved with meetings this offseason with front office members including new general manager Alexander Steen about the direction of the team.

Thomas at the time named Holloway, Neighbours and Broberg as three players who made him hopeful for the Blues' future.

That trio will now take on leadership roles alongside two veteran Blues players in Parayko, who is heading into his 12th season in St. Louis, and Thomas, who is the seventh Blues draft pick in franchise history to captain the franchise.

Selected with the No. 20 pick of the 2017 NHL draft, Thomas made his NHL debut the following year and appeared in 21 playoff games during the Blues' run to the 2019 Stanley Cup.

He has produced at a point-per-game rate in three of the last four years, including when he recorded 64 points (25 games, 39 assists) in 64 games while shooting an NHL-best 24.5 percent last season.

Despite missing time during the 2025-26 campaign after undergoing a midseason leg procedure, Thomas was the most productive player on a roster that ultimately missed the postseason for the third time in four years.

Thomas will hope his and Parayko's leadership combined with the Blues' new and younger core will help improve this team's chances of winning a playoff round for the first time since 2022.