St. Louis Blues star center Robert Thomas is the latest Blues player to enter a trade board, as The Athletic's Chris Johnston [https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6949917/2026/01/08/nhl-trade-board-panarin-sherwood-thomas/] ranks him 11th on his list. Including Thomas, the Blues had five players on Johnston's list. The highest on the board was right-handed defenseman Justin Faulk [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/panthers-linked-to-blues-right-handed-veteran-defenseman] at nine. Next was Thomas 11. Following Thomas were Jordan Binnington at 18, Brayden Schenn [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/st-louis-blues/latest-news/blues-veterans-justin-faulk-and-brayden-schenn-could-draw-interest-in-trade-market] at 25 and Jordan Kyrou at 35. Faulk, Binnington, Schenn, and Kyrou have appeared on these boards since the Blues' awful start to the season, but this is the first time Thomas has seen his name appear on a trade board. It comes as a surprise, but when you look at it, it's not all too shocking. If the Blues' front office doesn't believe in the core of players, it is best to move on from a 26-year-old center in year three of an eight-year contract paying him $8.125 million annually. Thomas has notched 10 goals and 30 points in 40 games this season, well off his point-per-game pace he's clicked at for the past two seasons. "Nothing is off the table in St. Louis, including a potential deal involving the team’s top-line center. How likely that is depends on how you interpret the fact that his name has started to circulate again in chatter with rival teams. Thomas has experienced a slight dip in production this season, but he is coming off consecutive campaigns where he exceeded 80 points. He possesses strong puck skills and vision, and he can handle the challenge of facing tough competition every night. It would take a serious offer to land Thomas in the prime of his career, but the Blues are open for business," said Johnston. Trading Thomas would clearly outline the direction GM Doug Armstrong believes the team needs to go [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/st-louis-blues/latest-news/what-is-doug-armstrong-thinking-with-the-current-blues-would-he-trade-binnington-schenn-faulk-other-veterans]. Keeping Thomas would indicate that the franchise believes they can retool. They'd continue to incorporate their prospects into the lineup and develop them in the NHL until the team is ready to compete. Robert Thomas (Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/0aab2eec-174a-402c-b085-2f8aec95b743.jpeg] Robert Thomas (Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images) Trading Thomas would point the team towards a proper rebuild. The Blues would bank on their current core of U-23 players, including Jake Neighbours, Jimmy Snuggerud, Dalibor Dvorsky, Otto Stenberg, Justin Carbonneau, Theo Lindstein, and Adam Jiricek, to carry the team in the future. Although it's a strong core, trading Thomas would only improve it. It would almost certainly guarantee the Blues finish in the bottom five of the NHL standings and possibly draft a franchise-altering player. It would also mean they could acquire multiple first-round picks or other NHL-drafted prospects. It would be a tough pill to swallow for Blues fans and a challenging trigger to pull for the Blues' management, but if it's in the best interest of the organization, it may be a move that is needed. Image [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/25e5d1fc-e235-45d6-9d0b-d4b9cd710ec1.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. REPORT: Blues Looking To Make Trades; No Trade Partners Emerging [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/2e6bad66-0438-4acb-a8a4-108077baa872.jpeg] REPORT: Blues Looking To Make Trades; No Trade Partners Emerging The St. Louis Blues are looking to make moves, but the trade market is dry at the moment, and the Blues are struggling to find trade partners. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/st-louis-blues/latest-news/report-blues-looking-to-make-trades-no-trade-partners-emerging]
