So far, Thomas living up to expectations with new contract off and running

ST. LOUIS -- The moment Robert Thomas put pen to paper on July 13, 2022, and the eight-year, $65 million contract kicked in for the 2023-24 season, the St. Louis Blues' center understood the expectations that would come with it.

This was not the entry-level contract and ensuing two-year bridge-deal Thomas was playing under anymore building his skills for the future. This was a contract that expects bigger results. No exceptions.

No, Thomas -- and Jordan Kyrou, who signed a matching $8.125 million average annual value contract -- isn't in the top 25; he's not even in the top 50. But he is in the top 60. But he is around some good company, and that means fans are going to expect the 24-year-old to start living up to much higher expectations even after putting up 142 points in 145 games the past two seasons.

"We all love pressure," Thomas said. "That's why we played this game growing up. You always got the pressure and you love it. It's not on one or two guys. Obviously where we are salary-wise, it makes sense. We're excited to embrace that challenge and take that responsibility on. I think we've done a good job responding to that."

Thomas was of course speaking of Kyrou and himself, but he's responded accordingly so far being touted as the Blues' No. 1 center, top face-off guy, top penalty killing unit, top power-play unit, assigned to the opposition's top lines. Ryan O'Reilly isn't here anymore for Thomas to learn from. Tyler Bozak isn't around to mentor anymore. Brayden Schenn still is, and he still provides tutelage when needed, but the keys have been handed over to Thomas, and so far, he's living up to his end of the deal.

Through 33 games, Thomas is at 37 points (13 goals, 20 assists) and projecting an 82-game season this year, he would finish with 92 points (32 goals, 60 assists). His career-high in goals (20), assists (57) and points (77) all came in 2021-22.

"The word is playing the right way," Blues interim coach Drew Bannister said. 'I think over the (five) games that I've seen Robert here, he's played the right way. Let's take away the Tampa game (a 6-1 loss on Dec. 19), that wasn't a team that I expect, but the (four other) games, himself and his linemates, they were (integral) parts in our success and they drove the way for us."

Let's put Thomas among the top 5-on-5 players in the league, and it's the cream of the crop list. How do names like Nathan MacKinnon, Nikita Kucherov, Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby strike you? Well, Thomas' 24 points (10 goals, 14 assists) at 5-on-5 tie him for third in the league with McDavid and Crosby and behind MacKinnon (30) and Kucherov (26), who have each played one more game.

Pretty darn good company if one says so.

"I feel like I've had some pretty good linemates this year," Thomas said. "We've been switching up quite a bit, but Jake [Neighbours] came on our line and did an excellent job. ... Then Kyrou came back on and he's done a great job. I've been on the receiving end of those guys' great work. Same with 'Buchy' [Pavel Buchnevich]. Maybe it's just timing, but my linemates have done a great job getting me in that spot."

When it comes to penalty killing, Thomas and Buchnevich are on the ice for 3/4 of the defensive zone draws and means they almost are always on the ice when the Blues are down a man.

And there was a time when the Blues would have a tough time trusting Thomas taking a big draw. Well, when O'Reilly was with the Blues from 2018-23, it was understandable to have one of the best face-off guys in the circle for the big draws, but in another instance, that baton has been also handed off to Thomas, who has gone from his worst season on the dot in 2021-22 (42.6 percent) to what is so far a career-high, 54 percent this season.

"From what I've seen, I've seen him play in junior and I've seen an elite player at the junior level and what he can do," Bannister said. "He can put a team on his back and I think that's what I see right now. He's using his ability, his vision, his skill to make his linemates better around him but also to carry the team in the same sense. He's got great leadership skills in that way that his motor on the ice can really push a team to be better and I've seen that when he's at his best."

In the five games that Bannister took over for the fired Craig Berube on Dec. 12, Thomas is at 10 points (three goals, seven assists) since being reunited with Buchnevich and Kyrou on the Blues' top line, that trio has produced 21 points (10 goals, 11 assists).

"We're playing well, we're in a groove," Thomas said. "Moving the puck well and creating a lot of chances. I'd like to see a little more in the offensive zone. I think we're creating a lot off the rush. That's the next step in our game.

"... I think kind of when you're feeling it though, you'd like to enjoy the game. We're all kids, we love to play the game. Sometimes those extra passes just make it feel so much more sweet. Just evolving as the season goes on and as we play together more, that kind of ties into the offensive zone stuff just playing solid hockey. We're doing a good job creating a lot of chances and we've just got to keep doing that."

There's a long way to go and a lot of judging left to be done when this contract is all said and done after the 2030-31 season, but for Thomas, whose salary structure has him making $9 million this season, $10.9 million next season, then it starts falling down to $10.5 million, $8.25 million, $6.6 million in each of the three seasons after and $6.65 million in 2030-31 when Thomas will be 32, the reviews are very favorable right now, and the trajectory still has room to grow.