Without question, the best piece the St. Louis Blues got in return for Jordyn Kyrou was Connor McMichael. The 25-year-old forward has been solid in his six NHL seasons and still has the potential to improve. He is the perfect player to bring into this young Blues team. He will fit in nicely with the other young, talented forward they have. But the main question everyone has is where McMichael fits on the Blues roster. The best place to put McMichael is on the second line at the center position.
Connor McMichael can be the second line center of the future
As mentioned before, McMichael has been very successful. Over his 315 career games, he has racked up 67 goals and 87 assists for 154 points. While his best season was 2024-25, he did put in a solid year this past season. He appeared in 78 games, logging 14 goals and 32 assists for 46 points. His assists total was a new career high. His advanced metrics were solid as well. According to Natural Stat Trick, he had a 46.99 CF%, a 47.55 SCF%, and a 48.45 xG%.
What makes these numbers more impressive is that most of them came with third-line minutes. Sure, he did appear in several games as the left winger on the top line, but his main assignment was to center the third line. If he can produce 40-50 points while averaging around 15 minutes a game, imagine what he can do when you move him up a line. He could easily become a 60-point player by simply playing on the second line.
He also has the skills to be a reliable second liner. He's a good two-way forward who uses his speed to make an impact on both the offensive and defensive sides of the puck. He can get into the high-danger scoring zones and finish plays. At the same time, he can break up passes and provide great support to his defensemen. This is the perfect type of player to have in your top six. Someone who will be able to be a solid scorer while playing strong defense.
While McMichaels has the skills to be a second-line center, in order to optimize his ability, they need to pair him with the right linemates. The best people for the job are Jake Neighbors on the left wing and Pavel Buchnevich on the right. Neighbours can provide some grit and physicality that the line is currently missing. On the other side, Buchnevich is good at both setting up and finishing a play. Having him and McMichael on the same line will help generate a ton of offense for the Blues.
McMichaels appears ready to take on a top-six role for the Blues next season. He is someone who can play well on both sides of the puck and fits perfectly.
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