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The St. Louis Blues price for Robert Thomas appears too much for opposing teams to afford.
The Toronto Maple Leafs will likely be out of the running fot Blues forward Robert Thomas, and his price in general may be too costly for mosy, if not all teams for the Blues center.
According to reporting from Nick Kypreos, the price for Robert Thomas is a hefty one. Kypreos reports that the Blues want something equivalent to “three top-15 picks”, a price described as “astronomical”.
The return, whether actual picks or equivalent, would amass to multiple high-end prospect pieces or futures, meaning a team with deep prospect depth would have to sway St. Louis.
Thomas, 26, has 11 goals, 22 assists, & 33 points this season for the Blues, second in points among the team, last in the Central Division with a 20-28-9 record and 49 points.
Signed until 2031, Thomas has a sky-high trade value for a bottom-feeder Blues team that is looking at a reset, but not settling for their top assets.
The Toronto Maple Leafs likely out of Robert Thomas trade talks
If the Toronto Maple Leafs wanted Robert Thomas, they almost surely do not have the pieces to afford an already challenging ask.
The Blues ask for multiple top prospects difficult for Toronto, who arguably already have none. Ben Danford is the closest thing the Leafs have to a prospect, but hardly “top-15” level.
The Leafs prospect depth is players with a lower floor and/or untapped upside, no one that would reach of Thomas’ viewed trade value, much less multiple.
Easton Cowan may be a starter, but there’s no indication that Cowan is a player the Leafs are looking to part ways with, and Cowan/Danford is likely beatable against most of the league’s best offers.
The Toronto Maple Leafs don’t have the pieces to lure a big trade fish, especially someone with term, and it complicates the search for impact help to avoid the Leafs desperation as buyers.
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