36 goals, 70 points, +23. A 15.1 shooting percentage, 50 hits, 36 blocks. 29 even-strength goals, 24 even-strength assists. These were the numbers behind Jordan Kyrou's breakout into his next level as a skater.
Blues fans have known about and seen the skill of Jordan Kyrou on display for the duration of his Blues tenure, putting up flashy highlights that stand among the league's best. However, the question was whether or not he could have a consistent season and put it all together; 2024-25 brought the breakout Blues fans had been hoping for.
The next level: Jordan Kyrou and the St. Louis Blues
Jordan Kyrou always had the apparent skill to become a superstar: silky mitts, good hockey IQ, and a wicked shot release. However, he often tried to be the hero of every shift and did not play as well with his linemates.
The next step of Kyrou's evolution would come when he could learn to use his skill and speed off of a teammate; everything came together for #25 when Doug Armstrong brought in #81.
Dylan Holloway and Jordan Kyrou became a truly dynamic duo after only a couple of games playing together. Jim Montgomery quickly identified their chemistry and had them playing together all season, to great effect.
The Holloway-Schenn-Kyrou line ranked within the top 78th percentile of all NHL lines (min. 100 minutes played) in expected Goals%, and in the top 87th percentile in expected Goals against/60 minutes.
Kyrou was a key part of one of the best lines in the NHL at advanced scoring and defensive metrics, of which his excellent +23 rating (which led the team) reflects his contribution to both offense and defense.
Basically, the St. Louis Blues are fundamentally not the same team without Kyrou this season, and almost certainly miss the playoffs.
What is the benefit of trading Jordan Kyrou?
Some fans believe that after the best season of his career (when considering defense and offense) means it would be the best time to get the highest return on a player like Kyrou, one who (according to this narrative) is not worth it because he does not show up in the playoffs.
It is true that this year's playoffs did not feature a lot of Jordan Kyrou heroics; he scored 3 goals in the 7 games with 0 assists.
However, this made him tied for the team lead in goals in the playoffs with Pavel Buchnevich and Nathan Walker, meaning that Kyrou led the team in goals for both the regular season and the postseason.
But let's still analyze the potential for trading a guy like Kyrou.
The return for a forward of his age and control and skill would be immense, likely at least three first-round picks or equivalent players/prospects. Likely, Doug Armstrong and company would target an NHL-ready player at a young age.
The obvious comparison is the recent Mikko Rantanen deals; let's use the most recent of the two, where Carolina acquired Logan Stankoven and two firsts (plus other ancillary pieces) for Mikko Rantanen. While I am not equating Kyrou to Rantanen, imagine receiving a player of Stankoven's caliber plus an additional first-round pick, possibly.
That does sound pretty hefty, I have to admit. Maybe the pro-trade crowd is onto something?
A trade like this would set the Blues back a year at least in their newly opened window of contention. The age of the Blues core right now is very young so that they can grow together; Neighbours (22), Holloway (23), Broberg (23), Snuggerud (20), and Bolduc (21) among others are all in a similar age bracket. Doug Armstrong said maintaining this age range was the ideal, with the players already under contract like Kyrou and Thomas.
Acquiring a player in between Kyrou and this range would put their future in a weird middle area where they do not fit with either group and would likely not get paid and fall to the wayside. Furthermore, any picks acquired in exchange for Kyrou would not help the team for most likely 2-5 years, which is well outside the window that is just opening up for the Blues.
Finally, Kyrou is just a really good player. When the Blues were marred by injuries this season, Kyrou was an ironman and played all 82 games as the guiding presence on the club, helping keep the boat afloat while key players like Robert Thomas, Philip Broberg, or Colton Parayko missed extended time for injury.
Jordan Kyrou just had the best season of his career, which may mean his value is at its highest, but he just had the best season of his career and is only looking like he is getting better. Wouldn't you want the Blues to be the club that benefits from Kyrou's immense value over anyone else?
I expanded further on my thoughts on Kyrou as well as every other Blues player this season in the most recent episode of my podcast. Check it out: