Brady Tkachuk hasn’t officially hit the trade market, but he has entered the rumor mill. Due to his ties to the St. Louis Blues and earlier reports about Robert Thomas’ availability, fan-made trade proposals have begun circulating. However, trading Thomas for Tkachuk would be a mistake.
He’s a hometown player, and he would bring physicality and a strong offensive net front presence that the St. Louis Blues desperately need, but trading Robert Thomas to acquire Brady Tkachuk is even less than a lateral move.
Player for player, Thomas plays a premium position, contributes more defensively, and has outperformed Tkachuk statistically in the past few seasons.
Both Thomas and Tkachuk are 26 years old, born in 1999 and are playing in their eighth NHL season.
In 530 career games, Thomas has scored 132 goals and 460 points, while Tkachuk has notched 213 goals and 463 points in 572 games. Tkachuk is the better goal scorer, posting three 30-goal campaigns and a career high of 37 goals, but Thomas is the better playmaker, posting four-point-per-game seasons and a career high of 86 points.
Statistically, they are fairly even throughout their careers, but Thomas brings a two-way element up the middle that is far more valuable than that of a left winger. Thomas is the play driver and the No. 1 center, responsible for generating offense at 5-on-5 and matching up against the opponent’s top line.
In Tkachuk’s case, he was moved off the top line with Tim Stutzle, and in the playoffs, Tkachuk struggled to be impactful outside of bringing physicality. The former fourth overall pick in the 2018 NHL draft finished the 2025-26 post-season with no points and a minus-4 rating in a four-game sweep to the Carolina Hurricanes.
Despite that, Tkachuk is still an effective player. His 6-foot-4 frame makes him physically imposing on the forecheck, and in front of the opponent’s net, he has the hands to make plays in tight, coupled with an underrated shot. A knock on Tkachuk’s game, and an element where Thomas thrives is that Tkachuk can struggle at times to create offense for himself.
Tkachuk lacks high-end foot speed, which, in his career, has limited his ability to be a playmaker and to create space to use his shot at 5-on-5. For Thomas, arguably his best strength is his ability to create space and make plays.
Tkachuk ranked below the 50th percentile in max skating speed, 22-plus miles per hour speed bursts, 20-22 miles per hour bursts, and 18-20 miles per hour bursts. Thomas, on the other hand, ranked in the 92nd percentile in max skating speed, the 66th percentile in 20-22 miles per hour bursts, and the 72nd percentile in 18-20 miles per hour bursts, according to NHL Edge.
That’s why a duo of Thomas and Tkachuk would likely be electric, and why trading Thomas for Tkachuk doesn’t make sense for the Blues. To get the most out of Tkachuk, they would need a playmaker like Thomas.
If the Blues did want to acquire Tkachuk, finding a way to work out a deal that doesn’t involve Thomas would be ideal, but the Ottawa Senators would likely be persistent in Thomas being involved.
Possibly using Jordan Kyrou or Pavel Buchnevich, plus picks and prospects, could entice Ottawa, but after the poor displays by those Blues veterans, the Blues would have to offer significant prospects.
In all, Thomas provides positional value, two-way versatility, and a better contract situation than Tkachuk. The goal would be to pair the 26-year-olds together, rather than swapping them.
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