St. Louis Blues Announce New Leadership Group

The St. Louis Blues didn’t wait too long to name its next captain. According to a team announcement, the Blues have center Robert Thomas captain ahead of the 2026-27 season. Additionally, defensemen Colton Parayko and Philip Broberg, and forwards Jake Neighbours and Dylan Holloway will serve as assistant captains.

Thomas, 27, will now lead the next wave of Blues for the foreseeable future. St. Louis drafted Thomas with the 20th overall pick of the 2017 NHL Draft, and he’s been with the team since. During Thomas’ rookie campaign, the Blues won their first Stanley Cup in franchise history, defeating the Boston Bruins in seven games.

It took him a few years to become the player he is now, but Thomas has been one of St. Louis’ most consistent forwards for the last several years. Since the beginning of the 2021-22 season, the Aurora, ON native has registered 110 goals and 373 points in 361 games with a +60 rating, averaging 19:40 of ice time per game.

Additionally, Thomas has had great examples of leadership throughout his career. Since his debut, Thomas and the Blues have been captained by Alex Pietrangelo, Ryan O’Reilly, and Brayden Schenn, whom St. Louis traded to the New York Islanders at last year’s deadline.

Still, had someone met their asking price, Thomas would have followed Schenn out the door at last year’s trade deadline. Leading up to the deadline, Thomas’ name was in the rumor mill for several months. Nearly every team was seeking a second-line center, making Thomas an obvious trade candidate for many clubs.

Ultimately, the Blues decided to hang on to Thomas through the deadline, leading to today’s decision. It’s not surprising, given that St. Louis pulled Thomas from the trade market earlier this summer. Impressively, despite the rumors surrounding him, Thomas registered 14 goals and 31 points in 22 games to close out the year after the Olympic break. Thomas has five years and $40.625MM remaining on his contract.

Meanwhile, the team’s prudent choice to sign Broberg and Holloway to offer sheets ahead of the 2024-25 season continues to pay dividends. Both players have given the Blues quality on-ice returns, and they’ll now be tasked with important leadership positions moving forward.