The Buffalo Sabres made a serious push to land Robert Thomas ahead of last week's 2026 NHL trade deadline. As rumors of the potential move leaked, Sabres fans enthusiastically chanted the St. Louis Blues center's name during a home win over the Vegas Golden Knights.
Thomas was asked about being courted by those in Buffalo during an appearance The Sheet podcast with Jeff Marek and Greg Wyshynski on Monday.
"Yeah, that was pretty interesting," Thomas said. "I heard about it. Didn't think it was true. And then one of my close buddies here, his brother was at the game and said it happened. So, yeah, it's pretty cool. Obviously that team and organization has really flourished this year. The city's alive. I remember just after the Anaheim game we took a peek at the Buffalo-Tampa game, at it just looked like probably the craziest game of the year."
Was dying to ask Robert Thomas this question on @thesheethockey.
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) March 10, 2026
The @StLouisBlues are trying to get rid of you. The @BuffaloSabres fans are literally CHANTING YOUR NAME because of a trade that hasn’t even happened!
What does that do for a guy’s ego? pic.twitter.com/D0fwIF8y7X
It sounded like the Sabres were ready to move several top prospects and draft picks to the Blues as part of a blockbuster deal for Thomas and potentially defenseman Colton Parayko, though Parayko later used his no-trade clause to block a move to Buffalo in a separate agreement between the teams.
Thomas confirmed during the podcast appearance St. Louis never approached him to waive his own no-trade clause, so there was never an official deal in place with Buffalo despite the speculation.
Robert Thomas is a perfect fit for the Buffalo Sabres, who may restart trade talks with the St. Louis Blues in the offseason
Sabres general manager Jarmo Kekalainen made it clear he's focused on building a roster capable of sustained winning. He's not interested in a single playoff run followed by another 14-year drought.
That's why the Thomas rumors were so intriguing for those in Western New York. He's a No. 1 center, which would eliminate long-term concerns about Josh Norris filling that role because of his injury history and allow Tage Thompson to play on the wing, as head coach Lindy Ruff typically prefers.
In addition, the Blues star is 26 years old and remains under contract through 2030-31 with a highly reasonable $8.125 million salary-cap hit.
Thomas matches Buffalo's contention timeline perfectly, and it obviously helps that he's a high-end producer with 349 points (100 goals and 249 assists) in 343 games over the past five seasons.
That's why it didn't come as a surprise when Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reported Monday the Sabres "may circle back" on the 2024 NHL All-Star over the summer. It makes too much sense not to.
Thomas wasn't asked directly whether he'd waive his no-trade clause for Buffalo (or any other organization) during the podcast episode, but his response about the chants certainly suggest he was feeling the love from the City of Good Neighbors.
It'll be interesting to see whether the idea is revisited during the offseason. Kekalainen pivoted to a series of smaller deals leading up to Friday's deadline, so he still possesses all of his best prospects and first-round picks for a possible high-profile trade before the 2026-27 season.
For now, however, the Sabres are focused solely on officially clinching the franchise's first playoff berth since 2011 and potentially even making some noise in the Eastern Conference. A deep run is within reach based on their recent play (28-5-2 record over the past 35 games).
Making a summer trade for Thomas, or another standout offensive player, would further raise Buffalo's ceiling for next season and beyond, though.