Another day, another update on the Buffalo Sabres' pursuit of St. Louis Blues center Robert Thomas.
David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported Thursday the Sabres are still chasing Thomas despite their initial offers being turned down by the Blues. They're facing no shortage of competition, however, with the Carolina Hurricanes, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, Seattle Kraken, Toronto Maple Leafs and Utah Mammoth listed as other possible suitors.
"While the Sabres may push again for Thomas, the Mammoth are believed to have serious interest in acquiring him," Pagnotta wrote.
It's a critical situation to monitor for Buffalo. A blockbuster trade for St. Louis' 26-year-old cornerstone solve the uncertainty about the Blue and Gold's long-term No. 1 center. On the flip side, seeing him join an Atlantic Division rival like the Wings, Habs or Leafs would be a serious setback.
The Thomas trade discussions come as the Sabres await word on whether a different Blues player, Colton Parayko, is willing to waive his no-trade clause to make Western New York his new home.
Buffalo Sabres must be prepared to pay a king's ransom to acquire Robert Thomas from the St. Louis Blues
The Sabres' exact offer for Thomas, which caused the buzz to start building about the idea a few days ago, hasn't been fully revealed.
That said, reading between the lines based on posts from the NHL's various insiders, you can at least take an educated guess at the expected acquisition price.
It feels like Buffalo would have to give up a roster player (Owen Power and Josh Norris have been mentioned), at least one and possibly two top prospects (likely Konsta Helenius at minimum) and a first-round draft pick.
The Sabres' reported deal for Parayko includes Radim Mrtka (the franchise's top defensive prospect) and their first-round selection in the 2026 NHL Draft.
So, in the big picture, is general manager Jarmo Kekalainen willing to give up a key contributor from the active roster, two or three highly touted prospects and the club's opening pick in the next two drafts in order to acquire Thomas and Parayko.
That's an extremely high price tag but, if the Blue and Gold are focused on trying to become true Stanley Cup contenders in the short term, those deals would certainly help bolster the current roster. It's worth noting Power may be a non-starter for Buffalo, though.
Things could always change before the deadline, too.
The Blues are standing firm on their demands right now. That's possible because they have at least seven teams with confirmed interest in Thomas and the All-Star center is under contract through 2030-31, so it's not like a rental situation where they'll lose him for nothing this summer.
At the same time, if St. Louis wants to begin a significant shift toward rebuilding for the future, trying to use the extreme interest in Thomas to maximize the return right now makes sense. It could be posturing with an eye toward accepting the best offer on the table at the deadline.
That's why it's important for the Sabres to stay active in the negotiations, especially with so many division foes also in the mix.
Otherwise, if the Blues decide to keep Thomas for now, it's always a trade idea Kekalainen can revisit over the summer.
Buffalo is facing some tight financial constraints in the coming months, in part because it'll have to plan around a $6.4 million dead-cap hit for Jeff Skinner, and it's trying to figure out whether keeping impending unrestricted free agent Alex Tuch is possible.
By July, Kekalainen will have a far clearer cap picture and can move forward with targeting Thomas if his $8.125 million salary fits in the front office's plans.
So, even if the 2019 Stanley Cup champion doesn't join the Sabres before Friday, it could still be something to watch for Sabres fans in the offseason.