Last week, the Toronto Maple Leafs announced that John Tavares, captain of the team for the previous five years, has handed off the “C” to the two-time Rocket Richard Trophy winner, Auston Matthews.
Tavares is entering the last year of his contract and his future in the pressure-packed Canadian city is in question. Matthews signed a four-year extension recently and has developed into a leader for his team. The team decided it was time for Auston to be the team’s leader.
You may ask, where do the St. Louis Blues come in all of this?
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Brayden Schenn is entering his second season as Blues captain. He will personally look to have a big bounce-back year after posting only 46 points in 2023-24. The last time he produced less than 50 points in a full non-covid season was back in 2014-15 as a member of the Philadelphia Flyers.
Schenn needs to prove that last year was a one-off and that his game isn’t starting to decline, kind of like what Toronto fans have witnessed with Tavares over the last few seasons.
Now, Brayden was appointed as the Blues’ 24th captain in franchise history last year in September. Stripping him of the “C” doesn’t make a whole lot of sense and frankly would be a kick in the pills to the 14-year veteran.
Schenn turns 33 this week on Aug. 22. He has four years left of his eight-year, $52 million ($6.5 million cap hit) contract, which he signed with the team in October 2019.
He’s getting up there in age. The worries are that his foot speed will start to slow down and he won’t be able to put up the 60-plus points a year that Blues fans are used to seeing. However, his competitiveness, ability to create energy for his team through his physical abrasiveness, and willingness to fight and battle whenever called upon will never leave the gritty Saskatoon native.
Related: Schenn was obvious choice, right choice to be Blues captain
Alas, if the St. Louis Blues were to miss the playoffs for a third consecutive season, the fans and organization would start questioning whether the players are capable of being a playoff team.
That could lead to a change in the mantle to shake things up. And the Blues’ best player, Robert Thomas, should be next in line to receive the captaincy.
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Last season, before St. Louis fired Head Coach Craig Berube, he shared his frustrations with the media citing, “A lot of our best players are not doing the job. I guess they don’t care about the team.”
Thomas went on ESPN radio after Berube’s comments and stood up for his teammates.
“Obviously it’s frustrating to hear that. I’ve been a part of this team for a long time and what he said couldn’t be further from the truth. I know everyone in that room cares,” said Thomas.
Hopefully, he addressed Berube first before making these comments on the radio, but a teammate willing to stand up and dispute his coach’s comments shows leadership.
Furthermore, Thomas last year established himself as the team’s best player. It’s not just about the 86 points he racked up. He’s a player that the St. Louis coaching staff can rely on in any game situation.
He’s out there averaging the most minutes of any forward on the team, playing PP1, killing penalties, and plays against the other team’s top line most nights. He’s a dynamic playmaker but also a strong 200ft center.
Thomas is 25 and entering his second year of the eight-year, $65 million ($8.125 million cap hit) contract. He’s here for the long haul and there’s no way the team would entertain trading him. He would be an ideal candidate to become the Blues’ 25th captain in team history, whenever that time may come.
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