Robert Thomas’s name is (once again) linked to the Canadiens

During the 2025–26 season, there was a rather glaring issue with the Canadiens.

I'm talking about the second-line center position… which was filled by Oliver Kapanen for a (very) good portion of the season.

But we saw that the Finn, who was in his first full NHL season, got worn out. We saw that he didn't necessarily have what it takes to hold that spot for several years in Montreal. And now…

And now, that means the Canadiens have to find a guy who can step into that role by the start of next season. This will undoubtedly be a major priority on Kent Hughes's desk, as he's already on the phone working to improve his team.

There will be top candidates targeted by the Canadiens, and there's no doubt about that either. But in Pierre McGuire's view, there's one in particular who would be perfect for the Canadiens: Robert Thomas.

McGuire discussed this with Jimmy Murphy in the recent episode of The Sick Podcast – The Eye Test. 

ICYMI, #GoHabsGo are likely to be trade suitors for #stlblues center Robert Thomas again.

If you're HUGO, what are you offering to pry Thomas away from the Blues? https://t.co/YH5oCEdwJy

— Jimmy Murphy (@MurphysLaw74) June 2, 2026

We're starting to get to know Robert Thomas.

His name was floating around in Montreal during the last trade deadline… and we expect that to be the case again this summer.

We're talking about a guy who scores 75 to 85 points per season, shoots right-handed, stands 6'0”, and is only 26 years old. And what's interesting is that he's under contract through the end of the 2030–31 season at an annual salary of $8.125 million.

That's not a huge amount for a player of that caliber. And given his age, Thomas could certainly fit in well with the current core… which is growing together and will only get better over the years.

On paper, everything points to this being a good idea. Everything suggests the Canadiens have the leverage to be aggressive in this situation… especially since Kent Hughes has the assets to make a move and put together a big offer.

But there will be other teams interested in Thomas's services, too.

And there's a scenario where the Habs get beat to the finish line… which would be a shame in a way because landing Robert Thomas would really change things in Montreal.

Extension

Again, what could help the Canadiens is the fact that Hughes has plenty of options to put together an attractive offer for the St. Louis Blues.

And let's not forget one thing: Kent Hughes and Doug Armstrong have a good relationship, having worked together last summer on the Logan Mailloux/Zachary Bolduc trade.

That's not something to overlook, either…