The St. Louis Blues have sorely missed forward Robert Thomas, but they’ll no longer be without the services of the star center. Well ahead of schedule, Thomas will return to the lineup when the Blues welcome the Minnesota Wild to Enterprise Center on Tuesday night.
Originally expected to be re-evaluated in 4-6 weeks after fracturing his right ankle on October 22, the 25-year-old began skating last week and has the green light for the Central Division clash, head coach Drew Bannister confirmed.
“Since we went on the road, I think it was going to be a day-to-day thing at that point,” Bannister said, per NHL.com’s Lou Korac. “We saw a lot of good progress with him on the ice and how he was feeling. Yesterday, he came in and had a great skate, talked to the doctors and he feels comfortable and the doctors are comfortable with it and he’s ready to go.”
Thomas suffered the injury blocking a shot by Winnipeg Jets defenseman Neal Pionk early in the third period of a 3-2 loss. Barring no last-minute setbacks, he will have missed just 12 of St. Louis’ games.
“It’s obviously frustrating being out,” Thomas said on Tuesday, per Korac. “I invested a lot in myself and pretty happy with the result and getting back so soon. Excited to be back in the lineup and looking forward to getting in the trenches with the guys.”
The Aurora, Ontario led the Blues in scoring last season, breaking out to the tune of 26 goals and 86 points over a full 82-game slate. It was the best year of his career. The 2019 Stanley Cup champion was solid this season as well before his injury, managing one goal and six points over seven games. Based on Tuesday’s skate, he will slot right back in on the top line with Pavel Buchnevich and Jordan Kyrou, along with the top powerplay unit.
A former 20th overall pick by the Blues in the 2017 NHL Draft, Thomas has spent his entire career in Missouri. He’s up to 87 goals and 321 points over 403 career regular-season contests. He signed an eight-year extension with the club back in 2022 that will keep him in the midwest for the long haul.
Robert Thomas’ return is a huge boost for the Blues
Thomas’ return will be a breath of fresh air for a Blues team that went just 4-7-1 without its best forward.
It’s been tough sledding for the club in 2024-25; they’ve been without Thomas and Philip Broberg for chunks of the campaign, and likely won’t have Torey Krug in the lineup at any point during the season.
St. Louis currently sits 8-10-1 in the Western Conference, and three points out of a wildcard berth. They’ve been slumping as of late, losing five of their last six games dating back to November 7.
The Blues have missed out on the postseason in each of the last two campaigns, and have only won one playoff series since hoisting Lord Stanley five years ago. The hope is that Thomas’ return will be able to help right the ship and guide this squad back into the postseason conversation in the West.
Puck drops between the Wild and Blues just past 8:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday night.
The post Blues get shocking Robert Thomas boost way ahead of schedule appeared first on ClutchPoints.
