Blues place Robert Thomas on injured reserve and activate Oskar Sundqvist

12:35 p.m.: According to a statement from the team, the Blues have activated Sundqvist off IR. Thomas' vacant squad spot has now been filled and the Blues have a maximum of 23 players again. He will likely play tomorrow for the first time since tearing his ACL against the Golden Knights in late March.

11:18 a.m.: The Blues have placed the middle Robert Thomas on injured reserve, according to a team release. The star forward suffered a broken ankle in last night's loss to the Jets and will be re-evaluated in six weeks.

Thomas left the game in the second period after blocking a Winnipeg shot Neal Pionk. A standard IR placement means he can return on October 29th but will be out until at least December 4th. That means Thomas will miss at least St. Louis' next 19 games – nearly a quarter of the regular season.

The 2017 first-round pick has had his fair share of minor injuries throughout his seven-year NHL career, but rarely have any of them lasted more than a few weeks. Only one, a broken left thumb he suffered in February 2021, kept him sidelined for as long as that broken ankle lasted.

However, there were no injuries for Thomas last season; he played in all 82 games for the first time. Various injuries and illnesses cost him nine games in the 2022/23 season, and he also suffered two semi-serious shoulder injuries in recent years. But he still has made at least 70 appearances on four occasions, including the best season of his career last year with 60 assists and 86 points.

The 25-year-old is now in his prime and is developing into the Blues' best striker and one of the better playmaking centers in the league. He has scored exactly one point per game since the start of the 2021-22 season, ranking 30th in the league during that period. He has also become a strong option in the dot, winning more than half of his draws in recent years. That was especially important for St. Louis after he became a natural winger Pavel Buchnevich their No. 2 center, a difficult proposition considering his career 32.5 FOW%. This year, Thomas recorded one goal and five assists in seven games.

Thomas joins in Nick Leddy And Oskar Sundqvist on injured reserve (Torey Krug is on LTIR and is out for the season after ankle surgery. With his IR placement, they have opened up a squad spot. With Alexey Toropchenko Since they are still dealing with a lower body injury, they will likely bring in a forward from AHL Springfield ahead of tomorrow's game against the Maple Leafs. captain Brayden Schennwho has just two points in seven games but a 51.5% FOW, could replace Thomas as the top center.