St. Louis Blues center Robert Thomas is taking a temporary leave of absence from the team due to a personal matter, GM Doug Armstrong announced on Wednesday. Out of respect for Thomas’s privacy, the Blues are providing no further comment on the matter at this time. The 26-year-old will return to the team on Friday, missing Thursday’s game against the Seattle Kraken [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/seattle-kraken]. Thomas was not guaranteed to be in Thursday’s lineup, as he is currently on injured reserve after undergoing a leg procedure [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/st-louis-blues/latest-news/robert-thomas-undergoes-leg-procedure-expected-to-return-after-olympics]. The Blues had anticipated that he could be back in the lineup for their first game following the Olympics, but this recent personal matter will postpone his return. Thomas has dealt with injuries in two separate stints this season. Because of this, Thomas has posted 11 goals and 33 points in 42 games, putting him on pace for 18 goals and 53 points in 67 games. Both his goal and point totals would be far lower than he’s posted in the past few seasons. In addition to Thomas’ offensive struggles, the Blues sit in 31st place in the NHL, and for the first time in Thomas’ career, he’s become the subject of trade chatter. He was recently asked about it. “It’s part of it. We know where we’re at in the standings,” Thomas said of the trade noise, per Lou Korac of The Hockey News [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/st-louis-blues/latest-news/blues-robert-thomas-on-trade-talk-it-s-part-of-it-we-know-where-we-re-at-in-the-standings]. “When you’re in this position, stuff like that happens. You’ve just got to own it. I’m a big part of the reason we’re here to where we’re at. I know stuff like that’s going to come and go. It’s been happening for the last couple of years.” While he has heard his name in trade rumors, the price to acquire Thomas remains high, and the Blues value what he brings now and in the future. Image [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/17e77b75-782e-480a-8bca-104ab991225e.jpeg] For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
