The St. Louis Blues have traded winger Jordan Kyrou to the Washington Capitals for forward Connor McMichael, prospect Milton Gastrin and the No. 16 pick in Friday’s NHL Draft, the team announced on Tuesday.
Kyrou, 28, whose contract goes through 2031 with an $8.125 million cap hit, was the Blues’ leading goal scorer in each of the three seasons before this past one, with 104 goals in 243 games during that stretch. He had 18 goals and 46 points in 72 games in 2025-26.
McMichael, 25, was the No. 25 pick in the 2019 draft. He scored 14 goals and 46 points in 78 games this past season after scoring 26 and 57 in a breakout 2024-25 season. The 6-foot, 180-pound forward has 67 goals and 154 points in 315 NHL games. He has played both wing and center but has a career 43 percent faceoff percentage.
Gastrin, 19, is a 6-foot, 185-pound forward. He was the No. 37 pick in the 2025 draft and played last season for MoDo Hockey in the Swedish Hockey League, scoring 10 goals and 24 points in 39 games.
The Blues now own four picks in the first round of Friday’s draft: Nos. 11, 15, 16 and 29.
Kyrou has four seasons left on his contract and a full no-trade clause. There was no salary retained by the Blues, so his contract is completely off the books.
What the Capitals are getting in Kyrou
For Kyrou, 2025-26 was a down season, statistically, leading to a lot of questions about whether the Blues would trade him and receive good value.
After being the Blues’ leading goal scorer for three straight seasons (37, 31 and 36 goals), Kyrou dipped below 20 for the first time since 2020-21. His ice time dropped the past couple of seasons, too, and his shooting percentage in 2025-26 (10.4 percent ) was below his career average (13.2).
Kyrou has been a bit of an enigma in his eight-year career with St. Louis. When he’s playing to his capability, he’s a lightning-fast skater with a good shot from outside. But when he’s not, Kyrou isn’t using his speed to put anxiety in opponents defending him.
Kyrou has improved his defense overall. In 2022-23, he was minus-38, among the worst in the league, but raised that to plus-23 in 2024-25. In 2025-26, he fell to minus-5 in a season when the Blues gave up 3.1 goals per game.
Still, Kyrou’s inconsistencies have led to continued calls for accountability from multiple coaches, including current Blues coach Jim Montgomery making the winger a healthy scratch this season.
The Blues have been attempting to break up a core that includes Kyrou and Robert Thomas. They weren’t willing to accept any offer to part ways with Kyrou, but it became inevitable that it could happen before the start of the 2026-27 season. — Rutherford
What the Blues are getting in Gastrin
Gastrin was my seventh-ranked Capitals prospect and has been a prominent part of Sweden’s 2007 age group, including as captain.
He has size, he’s a natural center, he’s a strong enough skater (it can look a little sloppy, but he generates decent power with it regardless) and he plays well off his linemates, offering a responsible and heady two-way game. He protects pucks and gets in and out of stops and starts below the goal line well. His habits and details are there at an early age. He’s not a dynamic offensive player, but he handles it well, makes plays around the net and below the goal line and seems to really understand timing and spacing.
Gastrin also has a natural shot and release that I expect him to show more of as he learns to attack for himself more. Add in a good stick around the net, a willingness to drive and play in the middle third, an ability to go get pucks, and a lot of the little plays he makes, and there’s a likable and projectable NHL player there. I do wonder a little about his upside, but he looks like a projectable bottom-sixer. — Scott Wheeler
This story will be updated.
