Akil Thomas is no longer a member of the LA Kings organization. Early Tuesday morning, the Blues announced they have acquired the 25-year-old forward in exchange for center Nikita Alexandrov.
It’s a move that has been needed for quite some time. After making his NHL debut on April 1, 2024 — and scoring three goals in seven games to end the regular season — all signs pointed to LA’s former second round pick being ready for prime time. Throughout that summer, Thomas was expected to have a bottom-six spot on the big club’s roster once training camp opened. For reasons that have never been fully explained, it just didn’t play out that way.
Although Thomas made the 23-man opening night roster that year, he didn’t suit up for a game until Oct. 29 at San Jose — promptly scoring a goal. He went on to play in only 24 additional games last season, never finding the back of the net again. After spending the bulk of 2024-25 as a healthy scratch, it became rather clear he likely wouldn’t have a place on the team’s roster for this season.
Now playing on the second year of a two-year contract, Thomas was placed on waivers during training camp in October. He went unclaimed and Kings GM Ken Holland assigned him to AHL Ontario. Through 19 games with the Reign this season, Thomas has posed 13 points (4G, 9A).
It’s the end of a chapter, not the end of this career. The Toronto native had a stellar junior career in the OHL, will forever be known as the guy who scored the game winning goal in Canada’s gold medal victory at the 2020 World Junior Championships, and multiple coaches have sung his praises in the AHL. Now, it’s on to the Blues organization, where he’ll look to get the fresh start he so desperately needs. For now, he’s expected to be assigned to their AHL affiliate in Springfield.
Essentially, this deal ends up being an exchange of former second round picks who appear to be in similar situations. Originally selected by St. Louis in 2019, Alexandrov has had a few stints up with the Blues over the past two years, playing a total of 51 regular season games — producing nine points (3G, 6A). The 6-foot center has spent the majority of his time in Springfield, playing a total of 188 games with 143 points (61G, 82A). Specific to this season, the German-born forward has 14 points (3G, 11A) in 18 games. He’s expected to join Ontario now, where he’ll battle for a team flush with centers — but one that has an immediate hole, as Thomas had been playing at 1C for most of 2025-26. Meanwhile, Alexandrov has been playing all three forward positions with the Falcons, alternating between wing and center.
Waiting for Thomas in Springfield will be his former teammate, Matt Luff — who was tied with Alexandrov for the team points lead prior to the trade.
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