St. Louis Blues’ Robert Thomas out with lower-body injury

St. Louis Blues Head Coach Craig Berube confirmed Monday that center Robert Thomas will be out day-to-day with a lower-body injury he sustained during Sunday’s 5-4 overtime win against the Florida Panthers. Thomas did not play in the final five minutes of the game, nor in overtime. He will miss Monday’s matchup against the Dallas Stars. The Blues have recalled prospect Jake Neighbours from AHL Springfield to replace him.

Thomas currently leads the Blues with 19 points in 21 games. Head Coach Craig Berube said “It’s a huge loss for sure. For a guy who probably has the most puck possession on the team every night, has the puck a lot, and does good things with it, guys are going to have to dig in and help out. But, we’ve got enough guys to handle it and get the job done.”

Last season, Thomas recorded a career-high 77 points (20 goals, 57 assists) in 72 games with the Blues. Which earned him a major extension and saw him sign an 8-year $65 million contract in May. The Aurora, Ontario native was selected by the Blues 20th overall in the 2017 NHL Draft after registering a point-per-game in the OHL with the London Knights. In 2017-18, Thomas was dealt by the Knights to the Hamilton Bulldogs where he helped lead them to an OHL Championship, his second in just two years. Thomas tallied a staggering 32 points in 21 games and was awarded the Wayne Gretzky 99 Award as the OHL Playoffs MVP.

Throughout five seasons with the Blues so far, he has recorded 183 points (46 goals, 137 assists) in 262 games. In 2018-19 Thomas recorded six points in 21 playoff games to help the Blues capture the Stanley Cup in his first NHL season.