Robert Thomas calls NHL Trade Deadline week ‘crazier’ than he thought it would be

There’s probably nothing quite like being a professional athlete that is the subject of trade rumors leading up to a trade deadline. The combination of a sense of frustration at your own team for considering moving you, and the flattery of other teams interested in bringing you in, has to result in an odd cocktail of emotions.

St. Louis Blues center Robert Thomas is an especially good position to describe this sensation, as he was just a central figure in trade speculation leading up to March 6th’s NHL trade deadline.

On Tuesday’s episode of The Sheet, hosts Jeff Marek and Greg Wyshynski were joined by Thomas to discuss what it was like for him in the days leading up to the deadline.

Jeff Marek: What was up with last week? Was that like the craziest week of your career?

Robert Thomas: Yeah, it was definitely up there for sure. It was tough on the family. We all kind of knew a little bit of what was going to happen a couple of weeks leading up to the deadline. I think it got a lot crazier than I thought it would.

Jeff Marek: It was just like a ball that kept on rolling and gathering more and more and more steam. First of all, did you anticipate that these kinds of conversations would even happen around the trade deadline? Because I’ll be honest, a lot of us were stunned. Like we’re all stunned.

Robert Thomas: (Blues GM Doug Armstrong) gave us a pretty good heads up there was a group of us and that stuff and conversations like that were going to happen. He wasn’t sure where it was going to lead, but I think just giving us the heads up was kind of preparing us a little bit. He didn’t have to do it so it was really nice of him.

Greg Wyshynski: It must be tough when it becomes apparent that your current team may not have you in their plans anymore. That being said, what an ego stroke to have fans from another NHL city chanting your name in the hopes that a trade could happen. Robby, the Buffalo (Sabres) fans were chanting your name on the rumor that you might be traded there. How did that feel?

Robert Thomas: Yeah, that was pretty interesting. I had heard about it. I didn’t think it was true. And then one of my close buddies here, his brother was at the game and said it happened. So, yeah, I mean, it’s pretty cool, obviously. That team and organization have really flourished this year, and the city’s alive. I remember just after the Anaheim game, we took a peek at the Buffalo-Tampa game and it just looked like probably the craziest game of the year. Yeah, it’s pretty cool.

You can catch the full discussion and the rest of Monday’s episode here…