After the trade deadline is when Blues coach Jim Montgomery saw Thomas step forward in a larger leadership role.
“Either taking someone under their arm, maybe a younger player who maybe had turned over a puck and talked to him about, ‘It’s all right, going to go back out there. Make a strong play next time,’” Montgomery said. “He really evolved as a leader in that last month. I don’t remember exactly what game, but we were at home and our first period was a little lethargic. I said, ‘Thommer, this is time for you to take over the room.’ The way the team responded to him in the second and third gave me a lot of confidence that he’s our guy.”
Steen himself has known Thomas since Thomas broke into the NHL as a 19-year-old in 2018. They were teammates long before Steen transitioned to the front office.
“He has a great side of him that he sometimes holds back a little bit,” Steen said. “I think this last year or so, he’s letting that out more a little more open. As teammates when I played with him, I got to see it more behind the scenes. He’s a very caring person, wants to do things the right way, explores, has no problem having uncomfortable or difficult conversations when they’re needed if it’s for the betterment of what we’re trying to do moving forward. I have a ton of respect for that.”
During Thursday’s news conference, Thomas spoke about the franchise’s connection to the city and former players’ work in weaving the Blues into “the heartbeat” of St. Louis.
“It’s being a team, it’s picking each other up,” Thomas said. “It’s focusing on all the people before us, what they’ve done, what they’ve accomplished, and how they’ve created (a community). This team is part of the heartbeat of the city. I think that’s something I want people to recognize. As a leadership group, I think that’s so important. It’s about continuing that on, and setting up the future in the same way that we’ve been so lucky to be set up for.”