MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- Sammy Blais was at a local mall in New York on Thursday in need of dress shirts for an upcoming lengthy road trip the forward thought he was going to be taking with the New York Rangers.
Then, a long, lost friend reached out asking a question. That friend happened to be Blues center Robert Thomas.
"I was actually at the mall and 'Tommer' texted me, 'Is it true?' And I was like, 'What's that,'" Blais said Friday.
Yes, it was true, and Thomas broke the news to Blais in an indirect way: he was going back to the Blues in a trade.
"And I went on Twitter and I saw the rumors and then 30 minutes later, the GM of the Rangers [Chris Drury] called me and told me I was traded here. I was a little surprised, but at the same time, really happy to be back here."
And he was back, back where it all began. Blais, 26, marked his second stint with the Blues at practice on Friday at Centene Community Ice Center. Not as No. 64, not as No. 9, not as No. 91, which he wore with the Rangers and was occupied by Vladimir Tarasenko here since 2012, but as No. 79, stepping on the ice to a chorus of stick taps and a smile from ear-to-ear.
Blais returns to the Blues almost two years after being shipped to the Rangers along with a 2022 second-round pick for Pavel Buchnevich. This time, he's back with defensive prospect Hunter Skinner, a conditional 2023 first-round pick and a 2024 fourth-round pick that turns into a third if the Rangers make the playoffs for Tarasenko and defenseman Niko Mikkola.
"Everyone knows how much I loved it here and obviously winning the Cup here," said Blais, a six-round pick by the Blues in 2014 who spent his first four seasons in the NHL in St. Louis, including the Stanley Cup-winning team in 2018-19 and scored his first playoff goal in Game 6 of the second round at Dallas. "When I heard the news yesterday, I was really excited to come back here.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fm0TNmQ-kSA[/embed]
"I got the call at like 2 p.m. (ET), then I went to grab my stuff at the Rangers rink and then 6:30 was my flight last night and I got here at like 8:30.
"I was shopping for a dress shirt because we were going on a road trip with the Rangers so I needed some new dress shirts, but I got a call and I had to leave right away. I didn't get any new dress shirts so I might go today."
Blais was back in a locker room with a number of familiar faces but a locker room much different than the one he left in 2021. Including himself, there are eight players remaining off the Cup-winning roster, and 12 players from the last roster he played on here that are still around.
"A lot of new faces but most of them have been really nice," Blais said. "And a lot of guys that are here when I was here, so it's been pretty easy right now. Hopefully just get in here and play good."
One of the new faces for Blais is the guy he was traded for in the first place: Pavel Buchnevich.
"I guess we're teammates now," Blais said. "I had no idea I was going to get traded to the Rangers. I took it pretty hard, but just happy to be back where it all started for me."
Blais did take it hard when he got the surprising phone call from general manager Doug Armstrong that he was going to Broadway. But one message from Armstrong always stuck in his mind when he did depart that may have softened the blow ever so slightly.
"When I got traded, Army called me and said, 'You never know what can happen later on, might be here again one day,'" Blais recalled. "Yesterday it happened. I'm just happy to be back and have an opportunity to be playing again for the Blues.
"I was not expecting getting traded to the Rangers when it happened. It was really hard for me. Obviously won the Cup here and I had a lot of good friends here. It was really tough leaving, but I'm just so happy to be here now."
So are a bunch of familiar teammates, including the news-breaker Thomas.
"He was a guy that was loved in the room and obviously a part of the Stanley Cup run," Thomas said. "He's been around for a while here. Nice to see a familiar face come back and someone who was so loved in the room."
"We actually had no idea what the deal was or everything," forward Brayden Schenn said. "Someone caught wind in there that it was 'Blaiser.' Obviously we're excited to have a guy like that back. He's a big body, big hits, heavy skill, lots of skill. Just a guy that walks in your room and always a smile on his face and lights up the room. We're looking forward to having a guy like that back and obviously a guy we're definitely welcoming back with open arms."
Captain Ryan O'Reilly added, "That's awesome. We weren't sure who was coming the other way and see 'Blaiser' coming back, which is awesome. He brings some great physicality for us too. A great piece for us."
Needless to say, the roughly two years Blais spent with the Rangers didn't go according to plan. He suffered a torn ACL in his right knee in mid-November of last season that ended his season, limiting him to 15 games before skating in 40 games this season.
Blais had just nine assists in 54 games with the Rangers, with his last regular-season NHL goal coming as a member of the Blues on May 1, 2021 at Minnesota.
"Last year was really hard mentally and physically for me," Blais said. "Even this year, it didn't go the way I wanted it to go in New York. Obviously I wanted to have a bit more of an impact there, but it's in the past now and it's a new start for me here. I'm just happy to be here and help this team win."
For now, Blais comes into familiar territory in a familiar system, one that makes it easier for coach Craig Berube to incorporate a player he's quite familar with into the lineup Saturday against Arizona playing alongside Ivan Barbashev and Noel Acciari.
"It's good to see him," Berube said. "He's excited and we are too. He was a good player here for us for a while. I've had him for a long time obviously down in the minors too. He brings energy to our team, he's got a good personality and I think he's going to be good for our locker room and he also brings some grit to our team.
"I know him well. He knows us well. I think with his injury and stuff, he's still trying to fight through that a little bit. We'll get him going."
Nobody knows what the plan for Blais will be beyond this season; he can become an unrestricted free agent at season's end and only time will tell whether the Blues will look to keep him beyond or allow him to walk. He's just going to enjoy the comfort surroundings he's known in the past.
"I know how all the coaches want us to play here," Blais said. "Most of the guys here, I've played with. I'm pretty sure it's going to be a pretty easy transition. I'm just pretty happy to be back here."
And happy to have the chance to perhaps prolong his NHL career.
"Obviously we had some success here with Sammy," Armstrong said. "Again, a later-round pick and I’m really proud of our scouting staff for finding these guys in the fourth through seventh round that played in the league. And Blaiser’s one of those players. He played probably his best hockey here in St. Louis. I talked to him, he’s excited about coming back. Craig knows him and knows how he can use him.
"He needs to come back here and stay healthy and play, and confirm his spot in the NHL. We have the ability to give him that opportunity."
As for settling for No. 79, Blais said he wanted to keep a nine and actually joked with former teammate Vince Dunn about taking his former No. 29 here.
"I told him I was going to maybe take his number when he was here, but he told me that it would not look good on me, so I decided to go with 79 instead," Blais joked.
And as for No. 91, Blais said, "No, it's Vladi's number."