As Luke Fox of Sportsnet points out, St. Louis Blues forward Robert Thomas had a front-row seat to a dramatic moment that sent shockwaves through the NHL and frustrated a couple of friends on the Edmonton Oilers roster, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Blues GM Doug Armstrong’s bold move to offer sheet Edmonton Oilers’ restricted free agents Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg and Thomas happened to be with both players as they got the news.
Thomas, who was with Oilers stars McDavid and Draisaitl when the offer sheets became public said he couldn’t hide his delight. “You couldn’t take the smile off my face for 20 minutes,” he said.
As the Blues’ offer sheets aimed to pry away two of the Oilers’ promising young talents, Thomas got a kick out of being able to tease two on-the-ice rivals, but also close friends. “A couple of them were just looking at me like, ‘What the hell is going on here?’ I was so happy.” Thomas shared, according to Matt Larkin of Daily Faceoff.
Even though these players may hang out in the offseason, Thomas, a Blues player through and through, knows how good the Oilers project to be in 2024-25. “Hey, you gotta go after the best in West,” he noted while appearing on the 32 Thoughts: The Podcast. He was thrilled by the prospect of disrupting one of the NHL’s top teams.
“I was having a great time,” Thomas said. “They weren’t too happy. I teased them for a couple of weeks.”
The Oilers Have Moved On, As Have The Blues
Thomas’s lighthearted teasing reflects the competitive nature of professional sports, and notes his excitement about the Blues’ moves. Not only did they make a dent in the Oilers’ plans, but they picked up two solid prospects who could make a positive impact for the Blues.
Meanwhile, the Oilers lost two players they wanted to keep, but couldn’t justify overspending on as they are tight to the salary cap and plan to make other moves during the season. McDavid spoke to the media on Tuesday and said he was pleased with what GM Stan Bowman had done with the team. While it probably stung to lose Holloway and Broberg, the Oilers and their captain are ready to move on, still favorites to win the Stanley Cup this season.
