Craig Berube, head coach of the St. Louis Blues, announced an injury to Robert Thomas on Saturday afternoon. The Forward will miss Saturday’s game against the Dallas Stars. Thomas is considered day-to-day with an undisclosed upper-body injury.
Thomas (upper-body) won’t play tonight. Berube says he was injured in the opener and he’s day to day. #stlblues
— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) October 5, 2019
Robert Thomas Injured
The injury occurred in the St. Louis Blues’ opener. Thomas did not practice on Friday, and will not be able to play tonight. The Aurora, Ontario native is entering his second full season as a pro in the NHL. Thomas turned heads during last years’ Stanley Cup run, becoming a crucial part of the Blues’ scoring attack. Though he enjoyed a strong playoff performance, a wrist injury sustained during game-six of the Western Conference final hindered his production down the stretch. It is unclear if the current injury relates to his wrist.
The Blues drafted Thomas with the 20th pick of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft after a stellar junior career. Thomas captured the Memorial Cup with the London Knights in 2016-17 before finishing his junior career with the Hamilton Bulldogs in 2017-18. The forward made the jump to the NHL last year, playing in 70 games for the Blues. In those 70 games, Thomas registered 9 goals and 24 assists for a total of 33 points. With his strong rookie campaign and promising playoff run, Thomas had high expectations coming into this season.
Moving Forward
Thomas’ injury allows an opportunity for a fresh face in the lineup, an opportunity that will go to Zach Sanford. Sanford played a regular role during the playoffs for the Blues last season but started the year as a healthy scratch.
Berube on Sanford: “Zach didn’t have the camp that he wanted, and us too, we wanted him to be better. But in saying that, he’s ready to go, and I think it’s a good opportunity for him tonight to just show us the old Zach Sanford that we saw last year in the playoffs.” #stlblues
— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) October 5, 2019
Luckily, a day-to-day designation means Thomas will likely not be out for long. Robert Thomas has a great deal of promise, but injuries have played a role in slowing down his young career thus far. Hopefully, he can recover and deliver on the promise he showed last season.
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