Blues make stunning Robert Thomas decision after months of trade speculation with announcement

The Blues made it official on Wednesday, naming Thomas the 25th captain in franchise history.

He steps into the role left open by Brayden Schenn, who was dealt to the New York Islanders late last season.

Colton Parayko, Jake Neighbours, Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway were all named alternate captains alongside him.

It is a stunning turn for a player who spent nearly the entire year fielding questions about his future somewhere else entirely.

For a franchise that hasn't always rushed into these decisions, moving this quickly says a lot about how the front office views him going forward.

Thomas was arguably the most talked about name on the trade market heading into last season's deadline.

Buffalo came close to landing him, with St. Louis reportedly asking for a package built around picks, prospects and NHL ready players.

The Sabres eventually balked at the price, and Thomas stayed put.

Even after that, his name kept surfacing all offseason, with teams like Utah and Montreal mentioned as suitors given his no trade clause and the size of his $8.125 million cap hit through 2031-32.

By June, St. Louis pulled Thomas off the market entirely and made it known he was not going anywhere.

Naming him captain now feels like the final confirmation of that stance.

At 27, Thomas has already spent years wearing an A in St. Louis, and he was part of the 2019 Stanley Cup run early in his career.

Handing him the full leadership title signals the Blues see him as the face of the franchise moving forward, trade speculation and all.

It also closes a chapter that dragged on longer than most expected, one that had fans bracing for a blockbuster that never came.

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