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The St. Louis Blues (44-30-8) put their fans through the wringer over the last week, losing much of the momentum they built across a franchise-record 12-game winning streak after dropping three straight. The squad got some of it back on Tuesday night, though, ending its regular season with a playoff-clinching 6-1 home win versus the Utah Hockey Club. The see-saw ride carried on even amid the momentous occasion.
Blue star center Robert Thomas exited the game with a lower-body injury after logging just over 15 minutes of ice time. St. Louis impressively saved its season after switching to head coach Jim Montgomery, but its chances of upending the Winnipeg Jets and the NHL world are extremely slim without a healthy Thomas. Luckily, the latest update indicates that the 25-year-old will be good to go for the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Is Robert Thomas healthy enough to help the Blues do the improbable?
Montgomery removed Thomas from the game due to “precautionary reasons and should be fine,” per the team’s X account. Celebratory news does not come without some stress during this time of year, especially as far as the Blues are concerned.
Unfortunately, Dylan Holloway is still considered week-to-week with a lower-body injury. St. Louis is just 2-3 in his absence. He is a critical component of this group’s offensive attack, so other core members must carry even bigger responsibilities going forward.
Thomas tallied two assists before leaving Tuesday’s drubbing of Utah, bringing him to a Blues-leading 81 points this season. The 2017 first-round draft pick must continue to carry himself as the top guy, as he and his teammates prepare to face the Presidents’ Trophy winners. Maybe nostalgia will reign supreme in the playoffs.
The last time St. Louis met Winnipeg in a postseason series, it prevailed and went on to win its first Stanley Cup in franchise history. Robert Thomas was a rookie during that historic 2018-19 run. Now, he is a veteran who is entrusted to lead the Blues to a valiant effort. Hopefully, No. 18’s body will allow him to give it his all in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, for however long that experience lasts.
More must-reads:
- Islanders-Stars game ends with ejection, review and Patrick Roy screaming
- Steve Kerr 'very concerned' about worrisome trend plaguing NBA
- The 'NHL all-time goal leaders' quiz
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Who Will Join the Red Wings? Analyzing Current Top Prospects
The Red Wings have had no problem embracing the youth movement. With the addition of Danielson to the team, it seems all the high draft picks have gotten their look. If Detroit is still looking at Grand Rapids to inject some help into this team, who else is going to get a look on this roster? Amadeus Lombardi: 5’11” 183lbs C/LW, 11GP 2G 11A 13P I’ve written before that Detroit has a problem on their hands with Lombardi. He’s clearly graduated above the AHL level. He had 19 goals and 40 points in 44 games last season and tore up the development camp against Dallas. The question of Lombardi is if his game will translate to the NHL. Being a sub-six-foot centre in the NHL is already a bad start, but he can easily flex to the wing. However, Lombardi’s game depends on his hands and skill, and while he has a lot of it, finesse isn’t typically the most dependable skill. Better defensemen, less time, and more pressure are harder to deke your way through. Lombardi is a gifted player, and if he gets hot, he can be a really solid bottom 9 producer. If his physical game can adapt, he could be the depth scorer the Red Wings have needed for years. Carter Mazur: 6’0″ 196lbs LW, 5GP 4G 2A 6P Mazur is still recovering from an injury. Unfortunately, that seems to be common for Carter Mazur. The oft-injured winger got a brief look at the NHL last season, until he got injured less than five minutes into his NHL debut. It leaves you wondering when Mazur will join the roster. The aggressive junk-yard dog style that Mazur plays is perfect for the Red Wings bottom six. He could be the Justin Abdelkader of this coming team, hopefully on a cheaper contract. Sebastian Cossa: 6’6″ 209lbs G, .939% 1.75GAA Cossa can’t let in a goal right now. Cossa is 4-0-0 in Grand Rapids right now; however, he is unfortunately hurt. Given John Gibson playing poorly and Cam Talbot nearing the end of his Red Wings tenure, Sebastian Cossa is due to get some looks, and his numbers in Grand Rapids suggest that should be sooner rather than later. The Red Wings aren’t afraid to play three goalies, and Cossa might force their hand. More to Read: Top 10 Red Wings Prospects Detroit Red Wings: Deal or No Deal pt. 2
Steve Kerr 'very concerned' about worrisome trend plaguing NBA
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is sounding the alarm on a troubling trend affecting the league that could potentially worsen down the line. The NBA has faced some huge crises over the past few months. The Kawhi Leonard-Aspiration issue in the offseason raised concerns about the Los Angeles Clippers potentially circumventing the salary cap. The arrests of Chauncey Billups and Terry Rozier highlighted the growing threat of sports gambling on the integrity of the game. Steve Kerr highlights an under-the-radar concern While those fiascos have understandably grabbed headlines, Kerr recently expressed unease about a different issue that’s flying under the radar. The Warriors coach admitted to ESPN’s Anthony Slater that he is “very concerned” that the heightened pace of play in the modern game over an 82-game schedule may finally be taking its toll on the Association, with a growing number of soft tissue injuries impacting players of late. Eight different players have suffered soft tissue injuries over the past couple of weeks, headlined by stars like Anthony Davis, Victor Wembanyama and, most recently, Giannis Antetokounmpo. Kerr stated that the Warriors’ medical staff believes “wear and tear, the speed, the pace, the mileage” are increasing the risk of today’s players suffering such injuries. “Across the league, everyone understands that it’s easier to score if you beat the opponent down the floor, get out in transition,” Kerr said. “But when everybody’s doing that, the games are much higher-paced. Everyone has to cover out to 25 feet because everybody can shoot 3s. We have all the data. Players are running faster and further [than] before. We’re trying to do the best we can, but we basically have a game every other night. It’s not an easy thing to do.” Kerr, who has been an advocate for shortening the regular season, also lamented the struggles teams face with the league schedule, which makes it difficult for teams to get adequate recovery and practice time. With the Steph Curry-era Warriors being a huge part of the NBA’s pace and space movement, Kerr knows just how physically demanding the modern game has become. But with the financial implications that come with potentially shortening the season, Kerr understands that such a drastic change to the NBA schedule is “not happening” anytime soon.
Steve Spurrier has two endorsements for next Florida HC
Steve Spurrier is a legend for the Florida Gators. Known as "the head ball coach" down in SEC-land, Spurrier was a star both as a player and as a coach for Florida. Heck, the dang field in Gainesville is named after him. That means what he says about the Florida program carries a lot of weight, and he recently revealed that he believes there are only two people who would live up to the expectations and be a great fit for the Gators as they look to replace fired head coach Billy Napier sooner rather than later. “I know Lane Kiffin and I know Eli Drinkwitz,” Spurrier recently said, according to Daniel Hager of On3. “Obviously, either one of those guys would be super if it works out. But, it’s a long way from whoever we’re going to get as our coach right now.” The Gators are currently making a full-court press for Lane Kiffin, but they're not alone in their pursuit in the Ole Miss head coach. While the Gators reportedly flew members of Kiffin's family down to Gainesville to check things out recently, the LSU Tigers also pulled the same trick — hoping to get Kiffin to ultimatly come down to Baton Rouge. LSU is probably Florida's biggest competitor for Kiffin right now, but there's also Ole Miss to consider. It's not like the Rebels are going to let a coach who has led them to a 54-19 record over the past six seasons go without a fight. Kiffin would absolutely be a home-run hire for the Gators, though. He's a high-level recruiter and a high-level offensive mind in the SEC. Those are two things that the Gators desperately need in the wake of the middling Napier era. Not only that, but Kiffin has ties to the state. He was the head coach at Florida Atlantic from 2017-19. Eli Drinkwitz an interesting option for Florida if it can't land Lane Kiffin Drinkwitz is another interesting option, though. You'll also notice that there's a trend here for Florida, and that's going after established SEC head coaches. Napier had come from the Sun Belt conference. Drinkwitz has made Missouri a tough out in the SEC and he's won a ton of football games. His overall record at Mizzou is 45-27, though his record in big games does leave a little to be desired. He's 7-14 against ranked opponents and 0-7 against top-10 teams. Still, Drinkwitz is a young coach at just 42, so the upside is there. He's a big personality who does well on the recruiting trail, and he could do a lot of good things with the firepower of the Florida Gators behind him. There are other options out there for Florida. Washington head coach Jedd Fisch is a Florida alumnus, for instance. If Spurrier has narrowed it down to Kiffin and Drinkwitz in his mind, though, you can bet those in power at Florida are likely thinking the same thing.
LeBron James' admission about his role with the Lakers shows it's the beginning of the end
LeBron James has yet to play a single minute this season, and the Los Angeles Lakers are 10-4 and in fourth place in the stacked Western Conference. Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic are combining to average roughly 62 points and 17 assists per game, and the offense is finding its groove. That's why there are some legitimate concerns about how James' return might affect this team's chemistry. When asked about that, James claimed that he would adapt to anything the team needs from him. LeBron James just wants to hoop “Don’t matter. I’ve never had a position. There’s not one team, one club, in the world that I can’t fit in and play for. I can do everything on the floor,” James told the media, per Jovan Buha. This might sound like something positive, but it's also an indication of what's to come. James knows he's no longer the alpha dog on the roster, and he will have to adapt and adjust to the younger players to contribute to their championship aspirations. He's entering his 23rd season and has already missed time due to an injury that's rare among professional athletes, as sciatica injuries are relatively uncommon among young people. The writing is already on the wall, and all signs point to this being the end of the road for the four-time NBA champion. He's not likely to play back-to-backs, and he might have to settle for an off-the-ball role for the first time in his career. It was an incredible ride, and he's certainly earned the right to walk into the sunset on his own terms. At least his team seems to be in good hands.
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