MortiestOfMortys
Registered User
I was too, then people started comparing him to Backes and I got it.
I mean, I don't agree with it, but I get it. People love Backes, and if we could get Backes 2.0 people would be thrilled.
But what about someone better than Backes 2.0? How about Turgeon 2.0? Tarasenko 2.0? Unger, Sutter, Berenson, Federko 2.0?
I could see Thomas being a Federko. Federko had 6 30+ goal seasons and a 41 goal season, but his real value was as a set-up man. 10 straight seasons of 50+ assists, including 6 60-69pt seasons, and 2 73 point seasons as well.
I doubt Thomas will ever be a 30 goal guy (maybe Nick Backstrom is a better comparable), but those set-up numbers and the ability to drive play are within the realm of possibility for Thomas, adjusting for era. It's been since Doug Weight in 03/04 (Kariya was 1 point off in 07-08) that the Blues have had a 50-assist guy. Demitra was our last true 1C, with 36 goals, 57 assists, 93 points in 73 games in the 02-03 season. So, 13 someodd years later, maybe it's time we get someone who make plays again.
And come to think of it, Doug Weight is probably a pretty good comparable for Robert Thomas. They're similarly-sized (Weight = 5'11", 200lbs; Thomas = 6'00, 188lbs), and their production curve skews heavily towards the assist category. Adding a young Doug Weight to this team could be huge.