As Luke Fox of Sportsnet factors, out, St. Louis Blues ahead Robert Thomas had a front-row seat to a dramatic second that despatched shockwaves by the NHL and annoyed a few mates on the Edmonton Oilers roster, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Blues GM Doug Armstrong’s daring transfer to supply sheet Edmonton Oilers’ restricted free brokers Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg and Thomas occurred to be with each gamers as they obtained the information.
Thomas, who was with Oilers stars McDavid and Draisaitl when the supply sheets grew to become public mentioned he couldn’t disguise his delight. “You couldn’t take the smile off my face for 20 minutes,” he mentioned.
Because the Blues’ supply sheets aimed to pry away two of the Oilers’ promising younger abilities, Thomas obtained a kick out of with the ability to tease two on-the-ice rivals, but in addition shut mates. “A few them had been simply me like, ‘What the hell is happening right here?’ I used to be so pleased.” Thomas shared, in accordance with Matt Larkin of Day by day Faceoff.
Although these gamers could hand around in the offseason, Thomas, a Blues participant by and thru, is aware of how good the Oilers venture to be in 2024-25. “Hey, you gotta go after the very best in West,” he famous whereas showing on the 32 Ideas: The Podcast. He was thrilled by the prospect of disrupting one of many NHL’s prime groups.
“I used to be having a good time,” Thomas mentioned. “They weren’t too pleased. I teased them for a few weeks.”
The Oilers Have Moved On, As Have The Blues
Thomas’s lighthearted teasing displays the aggressive nature {of professional} sports activities, and notes his pleasure concerning the Blues’ strikes. Not solely did they make a dent within the Oilers plans, however they picked up two stable prospects who might make a dent for the Blues in a optimistic means.
In the meantime, the Oilers misplaced two gamers they needed to maintain, however couldn’t justify overspending on as they’re tight to the wage cap and plan to make different strikes in the course of the season. McDavid spoke to the media on Tuesday and mentioned he was happy with what GM Stan Bowman had carried out with the workforce. Whereas it most likely stung to lose Holloway and Broberg, the Oilers and their captain are prepared to maneuver on, nonetheless favorites to win the Stanley Cup this season.
Subsequent: Oilers Anticipate Ty Emberson to Play Key Position in 2024-25