In a number of different areas, the Blues will have to formulate a plan now.
Blues forward Robert Thomas fractured his ankle blocking a shot on Tuesday night and will be reevaluated in six weeks, the Blues announced on Wednesday morning, forcing the team鈥檚 best player to potentially miss about a quarter of the season.
Thomas blocked a Neal Pionk slap shot in the opening two minutes of the third period during a 3-2 loss to the Jets on Tuesday night and had two more shifts the rest of the game. He did not play the final 11:46 of the game.
鈥淵ou can鈥檛 make up for the player, but as a group, we can make up for it,鈥 Blues coach Drew Bannister said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the end part. It鈥檚 not going to be an individual player, it鈥檚 not going to be one player. It鈥檚 going to be the 20 guys that are in the lineup pulling in the same direction and coming together as a team.鈥
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Last season, Thomas had a career-high 86 points. In seven games this season, Thomas had one goal and five assists.
Thomas touches the Blues鈥 team game in so many ways.
He is the only Blues forward to average more than 20 minutes this season, and he鈥檚 flirted with 23 minutes twice (22:59 vs. the Islanders and 22:49 vs. the Wild) already this month. Thomas and Blues captain Brayden Schenn are the only two Blues forwards who average at least a minute both on the power play and shorthanded. Only Nico Hischier and Sidney Crosby have taken more faceoffs than Thomas in the NHL this season.
If Thomas indeed misses the next six weeks, that would put him on target to return before the Dec. 5 game against the Flames. That would include missing the next 19 games.
鈥淗e鈥檚 our best player,鈥 Schenn said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a guy that drives the bus for us. At the end of the day, it鈥檚 a part of the game, and we need everyone to step up, myself included. We鈥檝e just got to do it collectively. It鈥檚 more opportunity for guys to make some things happen out there. You never want to see anyone go down, let alone your star player. This is a chance for us to come together and play for one another.鈥
During practice on Wednesday morning, the Blues unveiled revamped forward lines without Thomas.
Brayden Schenn was centering Brandon Saad and Oskar Sundqvist (as Jake Neighbours also did not practice). Jordan Kyrou, who had been playing with Thomas on the top line, was reunited with Alexandre Texier and Pavel Buchnevich, a line that began the season together in Seattle. Dylan Holloway shifted to center between Zack Bolduc and Mathieu Joseph.
Holloway has mostly played wing in his NHL career but did play in the middle on Oct. 11 in Vegas.
鈥淵ou need centermen, Holloway鈥檚 played center, so this isn鈥檛 unusual for him,鈥 Bannister said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 played center with us. He was drafted out of college as a centerman. This is not an uncomfortable position for him.鈥
On the power play, Schenn moved up to Thomas鈥 spot on the half-wall on the first unit. On the second unit, Bolduc shifted to Schenn鈥檚 spot in the right circle for one-timers, while Texier moved into Bolduc鈥檚 spot on the opposite side of the zone.
The Blues will also be looking for a new option to take draws on the penalty kill. Thomas has taken 17 of the team鈥檚 30 faceoffs while shorthanded, and the other three players who have (Schenn, Radek Faksa and Buchnevich) are all left-handed. Sundqvist, activated from injured reserve on Wednesday, could be the team鈥檚 best right-handed option to take draws on the kill.
鈥淚 think we all know we鈥檙e not going to be him,鈥 Thomas said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a guy that put up 85, 95 points last year. We鈥檙e not going to try and fill his role by someone doing it. I think you just have to be smart as a team and know that we have to go in and play checking hockey and play together as a group.鈥
The Thomas injury is the latest in a string of injuries for the Blues to open the season.
Texier missed five games before returning to the lineup on Tuesday against Winnipeg. Nick Leddy has missed the past three games with a lower-body injury. Alexey Toropchenko missed the past two games with a lower-body injury. Sundqvist hasn鈥檛 played yet this season.
鈥淭here鈥檚 no time to get down (because of) missing players and stuff like that,鈥 Schenn said. 鈥淲ith Ledds being out and him being out, you have to look at it as opportunity for every single man in this locker room to come in and play more minutes and step up and try and be the best you can be.鈥
On an international level, Thomas鈥 injury could have impacts on the construction of Team Canada for the 4 Nations Face-Off in February. Thomas could have been in the mix to crack the stacked Canadian roster, but the deadline to submit rosters is Dec. 2.
Does Hockey Canada (with Blues general manager Doug Armstrong in charge of the management group) risk taking Thomas if he hasn鈥檛 returned to game action at that point?