The St. Louis Blues have been a team rumored to undergo heavy change for some amount of time these last couple of seasons.
Then, in these last 6 months, that change has come rapidly. In the months since, including the trade deadline, have traded away long-tenured Blues such as Justin Faulk and Jordan Kyrou.
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No trade affected their room quite as much as their trade with the New York Islanders, when the Blues dealt their captain, Brayden Schenn, away.
Schenn, 35, had served as the captain in St. Louis since 2023, and had been wearing a letter for the last six years total.
Schenn had been with the Blues for nine seasons and was one of three remaining players from the Blues’ 2019 Stanley Cup triumph. Now, that list is down to Robert Thomas and Colton Parayko, whom the Blues also almost traded to the Buffalo Sabres at the Trade Deadline.
Schenn’s captaincy void has been filled by Thomas, who was an impactful rookie on that 2019 Stanley Cup team.
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Thomas, 27, had also been tagged in trade rumors until seemingly when Alex Steen took over as general manager, and Doug Armstrong moved up to solely being the President of Hockey Operations for the Blues.
Now, the Blues seemingly have committed to Thomas for the long haul, entrusting him with their captaincy during their time of transition.
The Islanders walked away with a highly respected leader and someone who brought some offensive impact. Schenn scored six goals and 11 points in his 19 games on Long Island following the trade.
The Islanders also have their captaincy vacant following the departure of Anders Lee via free agency, and have yet to name a replacement.
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