Former first-round pick Robert Thomas’ first audition with the St. Louis Blues could be ending soon.



After playing in each of the Blues’ first five games, Thomas has sat the past four. His time in the press box came on the heels of recording one point over that stretch of five games, with dwindling usage in stretches. It’s worth noting that had Thomas kept his spot in the lineup, his ninth NHL game would have come Thursday night, the maximum one can play before burning a year off an entry-level contract.



But if minutes are meant to be based on merit, the numbers bear out Thomas’ role getting smaller and smaller, and eventually he was scratched.



It’s an admittedly small sample size, as Thomas has logged a little more than 44 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time, playing a total of 63 shifts.



The Athletic went back and re-watched each and every one of those shifts, putting the talented rookie forward under the microscope. Our...