Robert Thomas has been named the captain of the St. Louis Blues.
The 27-year-old Aurora, Ont. native will be the 25th man to wear the “C” for the franchise.
He succeeds Brayden Schenn, who was traded to the New York Islanders ahead of last spring’s trade deadline.
Colton Parayko, Philip Broberg, Jake Neighbours and Dylan Holloway have been named assistant captains.
Thomas himself was almost traded last March. The Blues went deep in trade talks with the Buffalo Sabres on the forward ahead of the deadline, but the two sides could not ultimately reach a deal.
Thomas said after the deadline passed that his hope was to remain with the Blues long-term.
“Ever since I signed my contract, I’ve made it known that I want to win again here, I want to be a leader here. That message has never been changed from me to them,” Thomas said at the time.
Thomas is entering the fourth season of an eight-year, $65 million contract that carries an $8.13 million cap hit. He carries a no-trade until the final year of his deal, at which point it transitions to a modified no-move clause with a 15-team no-trade list.
Thomas had 25 goals and 64 points in 64 games with the Blues last season.
Drafted 20th overall by the Blues in 2017, Thomas has 132 goals and 460 points in 530 career games. He helped the Blues to their first Stanley Cup championship in 2019, recording a goal and six points in 21 playoff games.
Among the other names to have worn the “C” for the Blues include Alex Pietrangelo, Al MacInnis, Chris Pronger, Wayne Gretzky, Brett Hull, Scott Stevens and Bob Plager. Al Arbour was the inaugural Blues captain in 1967.
