The Montreal Canadiens are in a good place right now. At the time of this writing, they have a 26-14-7 record and are third in the Atlantic Division standings. They are also only two points behind the first-place Tampa Bay Lightning in the Atlantic. With the Canadiens being one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, they should be buyers at the 2026 NHL trade deadline. One area that they could look to address is down the middle, as they could use a legitimate top-six center. One name who has been floating around the rumor mill who would be an amazing addition to the Canadiens' roster is St. Louis Blues star center Robert Thomas. The Blues are having a nightmare season, as evidenced by their 18-21-8 record. Due to this, several of their players have entered the rumor mill as trade candidates, with Thomas being the most notable. The 26-year-old was also recently included on NHL insider Chris Johnston's latest trade board [https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6949917/2026/01/08/nhl-trade-board-panarin-sherwood-thomas/]for The Athletic. With Thomas being on the right side of 30, a proven top-six center, and signed until the end of the 2030-31 season, the Canadiens would need to come up with a big trade offer to have any chance of landing him. Yet, he could very well be worth it when noting that he is a legitimate star and could make the Canadiens become top contenders. Thomas is having a down year for his standards with the Blues in 2025-26, but he isn't getting much offensive support around him. In 42 games, he has a team-leading 22 assists and 33 points. His 11 goals also have him tied for first on the Blues with Justin Faulk and Jake Neighbours. Thomas' recent seasons also show that he is capable of being a major difference-maker when playing at his best. During this past season with St. Louis, he had 21 goals, 60 assists, and 81 points. This was after he recorded 26 goals and a career-high 86 points in 82 games for the Blues in 2023-24. With this, there is no question that Thomas would be a fantastic player for the Canadiens to bring in if they want to upgrade down the middle immediately. It will be intriguing to see if they target him from here.
