There are currently 10 vacant captain positions across the NHL. One team, the St. Louis Blues, may not be in a rush to name one.
In a recent episode of the “Cam and Strick Podcast,” insider Andy Strickland said the St. Louis Blues probably won’t name a captain for the upcoming NHL season. This would be an extremely rare move for the Blues, who haven’t gone a season without a captain since the 1996-97 season, between Wayne Gretzky’s and Chris Pronger’s tenures.
It would be a curious decision to say the least. The move would make sense if the Blues didn’t have any worthy candidates. However, they do have options, none more fitting than Robert Thomas.
Blues Value Robert Thomas More Than Anyone Else
Thomas was the center of many rumors during the trade deadline. Teams like the Utah Mammoth, Minnesota Wild and the Buffalo Sabres were willing to move several top pieces for the top-line center.
During a transitional offseason for the Blues, both departing GM Doug Armstrong and incoming GM Alex Steen agreed that Thomas would not be leaving the organization. Thomas has never publicly implied that he wanted to be traded.
Thomas is one of the longest-tenured Blues, playing his rookie year during the 2018-19 Stanley Cup season. He has been an alternate captain for years, serving under Ryan O’Reilly and Brayden Schenn. He also has experience as a captain, serving the role for the OHL’s London Knights.
“I’ve been very fortunate to be a captain before, and love taking on that responsibility,” Thomas told Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic. “I have a lot of confidence in my ability as a player and who I am as a person, and feel like I’d be a great leader. Whether it’s (captain) or not, I’ll continue to elevate myself and take over a bigger voice anyways.”
Blues Have Options if They Want Them
Robert Thomas is not the only potential candidate the Blues have to fill the role. Players like Colton Parayko, Cam Fowler and Jake Neighbours each have some combination of NHL experience and/or the type of leadership qualities that NHL front offices crave.
It’s not necessarily a bad situation for a team not to name a captain. The Boston Bruins made the playoffs without one last year. However, those teams are few and far between. Leadership by committee can work, but it’s important for teams to have a clear face to take on extra responsibility.
In 2023-24, Schenn was named captain just a couple of weeks before the season started. Steen, head coach Jim Montgomery and company have time to decide who, if anyone, will wear a ‘C’ this year.
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