When the Blues returned from the All-Star break on Saturday against Arizona, Thomas found himself in a new stall in the dressing room at Enterprise Center. It was the one formerly occupied by Vladimir Tarasenko, who was traded to the Rangers last week.

“I kind of wanted a new one for a little while. Unfortunately, that was the way it kind of worked out.”

Thomas’ old spot at the arena put him squarely in the middle of the circular end of the Blues’ horseshoe-shaped dressing room. It was almost the farthest spot from the ice, from the board at the head of the room, from some of his teammates.

“I was so far away from everything,” he said.

While his new spot in Tarasenko’s old, more central stall (in the middle of the room beside captain Ryan O’Reilly) is more of a functional change, it could serve a more symbolic purpose for Thomas’ role in the franchise moving forward. His eight-year contract extension will begin next season, and he’ll be the face of the franchise for the next decade, the top-line center entering his prime years.

The Blues have bet on Thomas and Jordan Kyrou being their cornerstones on the ice. But does Thomas now receive more responsibility to lead?

“I think that’s been a conversation for a while where we want him to take a bigger bite of everything and work to become a good leader,” Blues coach Craig Berube said. “First and foremost, if you want to be a good leader, you’ve got to make sure that you’re the hardest working guy on the ice, out in practices and in games and things like that.

“Definitely, we’re all working on it with him together and we’ve got to keep doing it.”

Even though Thomas is only 23 years old, he’s in his fifth season in the NHL and has worn an “A” as an alternate captain at points this season. When Tarasenko and O’Reilly were injured, Thomas wore a letter for six games.

In the Arizona game, after Tarasenko’s trade, Brayden Schenn and Colton Parayko wore letters, in addition to O’Reilly’s customary “C.” Berube said Monday morning the Blues would leave it that way.

“I’m not in a hurry to do anything with it,” Berube said.

And if O’Reilly does get dealt before the March 3 trade deadline, Thomas could step further into the Blues leadership group. When asked if the Tarasenko trade pushed him more towards a leadership role, Thomas said “maybe a little, but not really.”

“I think this year, I’ve been trying to be more of a leader, on the ice, off the ice,” Thomas said. “We have a ton of great leaders here, so there’s a lot of guys that have stepped up throughout the year with injuries and stuff like that. I wouldn’t say that trade organically made anything different. It’s been something a lot of us have been trying to do this whole year.”

As the Blues tinker with their roster at the trade deadline and in the summer, Thomas will be one of the mainstays unconcerned about being moved . He’s a former first-round draft pick playing on a cheap bridge deal, and about to enter his massive extension. He’s one of the pieces to build around, not to shop around.

Thomas captained the London Knights during his final season of junior hockey before making the jump to the NHL and becoming one of the Blues’ most productive players, even as the teenage rookie on the 2019 Stanley Cup championship team.

On Sunday, he hosted the team’s Super Bowl party for the second time, joining Jordan Binnington (Halloween) and O’Reilly (Christmas) as hosts for team parties.

“Obviously, he’s on the quieter side of guys, but at the same time, he leads by example and plays hard,” Schenn said. “It’s a thing you’re always learning from someone or learning in this league, and he’s going to be a leader in this league for a long time. That’s the first sign of it.”

Schenn, 31, is a 14-year veteran of the NHL who has worn a letter for the Blues in each of the last three seasons and is signed for five more seasons after this one. How did he learn to be a leader?

“I think it just comes with trying to do the right things, and do the right things for the team is the main thing,” Schenn said. “When you build leadership and culture, taking care of teammates, I feel like that stuff goes a long way. For me, you don’t try and be anything you’re not. That’s the main thing. You just try and be a good team guy and it just comes with time.”

Thomas said: “The best way to it is on the ice. That’s the way I’ve found leadership to be the best, is by example — the way you play the game, the way you prepare your teammates on the ice.”

Or maybe with a subtle move across the room.

“Right to Vladi’s spot,” Schenn said. “In the middle now and that’s where he wanted to be.”