St. Louis Blues Waiting In The Wings: Jordan Kyrou

The St. Louis Blues may not have the deepest farm system of the 31 NHL teams, but with players like Jordan Kyrou, they do have potent talent in the minors.

Jordan Kyrou was selected by the St. Louis Blues in the second round of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft and has risen quickly through the ranks of the Blues minor league system. However, there are still questions of what his role will be with the Blues next season.

The St. Louis Blues value Kyrou more than just about every prospect they have the rights to and this was made clear two years ago when the Blues were on the fringe of missing out on the playoffs and needed to make a move.

It was no secret that the Blues were in the market for an impact player, more specifically, an impact forward to play in the top-6. It was made clear by Blues general manager Doug Armstrong that Kyrou was in a group of “untouchables” along with players like Klim Kostin and Robert Thomas.

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When it appeared as though the only way the Blues were going to acquire a top-6 caliber forward at the cost of giving up one of the “untouchables” in the middle of the 2017-2018 season, Armstrong stayed patient.

His patience was rewarded on July 1 of last year when the Blues were able to move Patrik Berglund, Vladimir Sobotka, Tage Thompson and a couple picks for Ryan O’Reilly.

Berglund and Sobotka were regulars in the Blues lineup, and despite the addition of O’Reilly and other key free agents, there were still positions that needed to be filled, and an opportunity for Kyrou to fill one.

Kyrou saw an opportunity to make the team in training camp and ran with it. Earning top line minutes with some of the Blues best players by the time camp broke in early October, hinting at his potential.

The 20-year-old forward made the team along with fellow rookies Sammy Blais and Robert Thomas. The “kid line” was inserted directly into the St. Louis lineup but did not get much ice time and as a result, did not produce.

Kyrou was one of the first players to be sent down to San Antonio to get more seasoning and top line minutes. He then became one of the most productive players in the league and a future all-star.

The Ontario native found himself back in the NHL in short spurts. At the end of the season, he found himself having appeared in 16 games, earning one goal and two assists.

Kyrou’s AHL stats are much more indicative of his offensive potential. While playing for the Rampage, he appeared in 47 games, netting 16 goals and 27 assists, propelling San Antonio to a late-season push.

It’s difficult to see where Kyrou fits in for the 2019-2020 season. Free agency has yet to begin, and the Blues still have plenty of free agents they need to consider resigning.

Assuming the majority of the roster will be back for a Cup defense next season, there will be little room for error for Kyrou if he wants to make the team. He will likely slot into the bottom 9 for St. Louis, similar to how the team used Thomas.

He will be forced to beat out the likes of Sammy Blais, Zach Sanford, Ivan Barbashev and Alex Steen for playing time. However given the Blues history of playing big contracts over young players, taking time away from Steen is not likely.

Even if Kyrou is not on the opening night roster for the October 2 game against the Washington Capitals, he will likely be one of the first players recalled from San Antonio.

There is little doubt, Kyrou has all the tools in the world to be a star in the NHL. The only question is when he will get the opportunity to show off his skill for an extended duration in the league.