St. Louis Blues News

Home

Quizzes

Newsletter

St. Louis Blues forward Jordan Kyrou (Steve Roberts-Imagn Images)

4 Trade Destinations for Jordan Kyrou

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Justin Giampietro | Last updated Jan 13, 2026 4:35 PM ET

With a 17–21–8 record, the St. Louis Blues find themselves well out of a playoff spot. In the final season of his legendary tenure as the team’s general manager, Doug Armstrong isn’t leaving much off the table—he’s willing to make major changes.

One player who has been in rumors for a while is Jordan Kyrou. The highly skilled winger has an $8.125 million cap hit through the 2030–31 campaign, and is 27 years old, making him a long-term asset.

However, his numbers are down this season, sitting with 18 points in 36 games. While his no-trade clause may complicate things, which teams should consider making a high-risk, high-reward move for Kyrou?

Buffalo Sabres

Is the drought finally coming to an end? Winners in 13 of their last 15 contests, the Buffalo Sabres have shot themselves from the bottom of the Eastern Conference into a playoff spot. It’s January, of course, so nothing’s set in stone, but the team has looked fantastic.

With an excess of young assets and in need of more firepower (only two players have over 30 points), this trade fit almost makes too much sense.

Kyrou can add a dynamic element to the Sabres’ top six and help cement the team as a threat in the Atlantic Division. The Blues, meanwhile, would have plenty of prospects to choose from. A 14-season playoff drought has some benefits, you know.

It’s worth noting that the Sabres only have $2.95 million in cap space, and a decision still needs to be made on Alex Tuch’s expiring contract. But when a player like Kyrou is available, you make the move first and ask questions later. He’d be a nice snag for new general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen.

Carolina Hurricanes

The Carolina Hurricanes hold the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. They are, without question, a Stanley Cup contender.

What makes this team especially unique is the ridiculous amount of cap space and prospects they have. Carolina has the money, young talent, and status as a contender to land a player of Kyrou’s caliber despite his no-trade clause.

The free-agent signing of Nikolaj Ehlers helped on this front, but the Hurricanes could still use another skilled top-six forward. Kyrou fills that box.

In a conference where the Florida Panthers still exist, and the Tampa Bay Lightning look unstoppable again, you have to be aggressive. Going after Kyrou—and potentially another player—could help the Hurricanes one-up these foes.

Montreal Canadiens

Kyrou and the Montreal Canadiens have been linked for a long time. If the 27-year-old gets traded, it’d only make sense that it’d be to the league’s most storied franchise.

The fit is simple. The Canadiens are looking to pull away in the East, and Kyrou would help them do that. In the short term, he can add more dynamism and experience to a developing top six. In the long term, he can be a secondary contributor on a team with Cole Caufield, Ivan Demidov, Juraj Slafkovský, and Nick Suzuki, constantly hounding the opposition up front.

Montreal also has the salary-cap flexibility (Patrik Laine makes $8.7 million—he shouldn’t be that hard to dump) and top prospects to make this splash.

Trading for Kyrou would move the Canadiens up the Eastern Conference food chain. They’d be a good destination for both teams and the player alike.

Seattle Kraken

Until recently, it looked like the Seattle Kraken were spiraling. But a 9–1–2 record since Dec. 20 makes them one of the hottest teams in the NHL—they’re sixth place in the Western Conference as a result.

Despite their impressive run, the Kraken don’t exactly have the most intimidating roster. Lacking true stars, Kyrou can help change that.

Now, one player won’t make the Kraken a juggernaut overnight. However, Kyrou is young enough to A) help the team now and B) help them later.

First-round picks Matty Beniers, Shane Wright, Berkly Catton, and Jake O’Brien are all 23 or younger—their best has yet to come. When they hit their primes, Kyrou should still be a force to be reckoned with.

So, what’s in it for Kyrou? Well, Seattle is in a no-tax state, meaning that his take-home pay will be more than it was in St. Louis. Not everyone views money as the be-all and end-all, but it makes the Kraken potentially more desirable than Buffalo, Carolina, and Los Angeles.

With cap space and prospects galore, the Kraken can make an enticing offer. They should consider doing so.

It seems as though nobody on the Blues is off limits amid their disappointing season. If Kyrou is on the table, the Sabres, Hurricanes, Canadiens, and Kraken should be making a phone call.

Salary-cap data courtesy of PuckPedia