Blues Sign Connor McMichael To Six-Year Deal

The St. Louis Blues have signed forward Connor McMichael to a six-year, $40.5MM contract extension per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. This move will secure the long-term future of the main chip in St. Louis’ trade that sent Jordan Kyrou to the Washington Capitals. It will also avoid salary arbitration between the Blues and McMichael.

McMichael was coming off a two-year, $4.2MM contract signed with Washington in 2024. He earned that deal after a modest break into the Capitals lineup over the course of his entry-level contract. After being selected with the 25th-overall pick in 2019, McMichael turned pro with Washington in 2020 and debuted in the NHL in 2021. He played through 68 games of the 2021-22 season and scored 18 points. Looking for more of a spark from the rookie, Washington re-assigned McMichael to the minors for the 2022-23 season, where he pushed towards a Calder Cup championship with the Hershey Bears while scoring 49 points in 77 games.

That was the jolt the Capitals needed to see – and earned McMichael a nightly lineup role in the NHL lineup for the 2023-24 campaign. He settled in as an impactful third-liner, scoring 33 points and recording a 42 percent faceoff win-rate on 872 draws. It was on the heels of that performance that Washington offered McMichael a two-year extension – a prove-it deal that offered the young center a chance to earn more once he found his footing.

McMichael took the opportunity in stride as the 2024-25 season rolled around. He scored 12 goals in his first 16 games of the season, flaunting a breakaway speed and heads-up playmaking that connected well with Washington’s veterans. That hot scoring pace didn’t continue through the full season – but McMichael’s growing willingness to play feisty and fundamental hockey kept him in Washington’s top-nine. He finished the year with a career-high 26 goals and 57 points.

But while McMichael’s breakout was exciting, much of his 2024-25 campaign was spent on the wing – not the center position that Washington had been developing him into. The Capitals attempted to move McMichael back to center for the 2025-26 season, with mixed results. He again showed strong flashes – including a run of 10 points in eight games in November – but McMichael wasn’t the same speedster while filling the middle lane. He finished the year with just 14 goals and 46 points, while posting a 43.0 faceoff percentage – exactly in-line with his career average.

A change of scenery will offer McMichael the chance to prove his everyday value after adjusting to the NHL game. He is still a young pro – only 25 years old – and shouldn’t be tasked with playing center on a Blues club that also acquired Mason McTavish. Instead, McMichael will step up as the Blues’ direct replacement for Kyrou – who rotated throughout the lineup while struggling to fit under head coach Jim Montgomery last season. Kyrou also scored 46 points last year – a dismal stat line, despite his strong play away from the scoresheet, after four seasons of at least 65 points.

McMichael’s speed and playmaking ability could help him fit into Kyrou’s play-driving role. The Blues will look towards Dylan Holloway, Jimmy Snuggerud, and Jake Neighbours to drive their ship next season – while McMichael and McTavish take the space to carve out their new roles.

McMichael’s top competition for a second-line role will be Pavel Buchnevich, who has also seen his impact dwindle over the last two seasons. Buchnevich scored just 48 points in 81 games – and spent time on the fourth line late in the year. He could be in-line to lose his top-six standing to Holloway and McMichael, unless he can rediscover the scoring that drove him to 76 points in his first season with the Blues. That lineup competition could be exactly what St. Louis is looking for after a year where many of their forwards seemed too comfortable with their assignments. A six-year deal will offer McMichael the security he needs to focus on winning that competition – and could land St. Louis with a high-value contract through his prime years.