Kyrou traded to Capitals by Blues for McMichael, 1st-round pick

Jordan Kyrou was traded to the Washington Capitals by the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday.

The Blues received forward Connor McMichael, a first-round pick (No. 16) in the 2026 NHL Draft and forward prospect Milton Gastrin.

Kyrou, a 28-year-old forward, had 46 points (18 goals, 28 assists) in 72 games this season. He has five seasons remaining on an eight-year, $65 million contract ($8.125 million average annual value) he signed with St. Louis on Sept. 13, 2022.

"This is my first time ever being traded, so I didn't really know what to expect," Kyrou said Wednesday. "But a couple days prior to this I was hearing a couple things and then the day of it was kind of just like, 'Be by your phone.' And my agent was calling me and then I guess there was talks back and forth. So, it was definitely a tough decision, but obviously I'm excited to be joining Washington and have a fresh start here."

Kyrou had three consecutive seasons with at least 30 goals from 2022-25, including an NHL career-high 37 in 2022-23. He was first on the Blues in goals (149), power-play goals (35), even-strength goals (114), shots (1,123) and games played (389), second in points (331) and power-play points (94) and third in assists (182) over the five previous seasons. 

"I think I've got a lot to prove and have a bounce-back year this year," Kyrou said. "So, I'm just having a good summer and just getting back to it and getting healthy again."

The Capitals (43-30-9) were fourth in the Metropolitan Division this season and failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2023, finishing four points behind the Ottawa Senators for the second wild card from the Eastern Conference.

"We are thrilled to acquire Jordan and welcome him to our team," Capitals general manager Chris Patrick said. "Jordan is an exceptionally talented and dynamic offensive player who will make an immediate impact on our club. His skill, creativity, and ability to generate offense at an elite level will be a tremendous addition to our group. At just 28 years old and under contract for the next five seasons, Jordan is entering the prime years of his career. We believe he is an ideal fit for our team both now and for the long term."

Selected by the Blues in the second round (No. 35) of the 2016 NHL Draft, Kyrou has 378 points (168 goals, 210 assists) in 488 regular-season games, and 13 points (11 goals, two assists) in 28 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

"It just felt the last little while, he wasn't getting the role that he had probably wished some nights," Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said Wednesday. "(Jimmy) Snuggerud had taken a little bit over. We talked and (he and his agent) talked about a change might be good for everyone at this point.

"You want to make it work so we waited and tried to find different avenues where everyone could get what they want out of it, but in the end, both sides just felt potentially exploring different options would be in everyone's interests, so we started down that process and got comfortable in putting Jordan in a spot ... because of his no-trade clause, he had the opportunity to make sure he was going to a team that he felt like he could have success in, and we felt we were getting a return we believe is equivalent is to the player that I believe that Jordan is, which I believe is a 30-plus goal scorer that's got excellent speed. It was just something everybody was comfortable with at this time."

McMichael, who can become a restricted free agent on July 1, had 46 points (14 goals, 32 assists) in 78 games this season.

"McMichael's got speed," Armstrong said. "He's got the ability to play multiple positions up front. A little bit younger, we've got control over him for a couple years. The first-round pick was obviously enticing for us entering the draft (Friday), and we're really excited about the Swedish prospect from his draft year last year. He went 37th overall. We love his competitiveness, we love how he can affect the game. There's a growth window there with some players."

McMichael said he is looking forward to joining his new teammates in St. Louis.

"I'm super-excited," he said. "I think one of the first things I did when I found out is checked the Blues roster and got familiar with the guys. From what I saw, there's going to be a lot of years where we can be competitive. It's a team that's looking to build and get better and better each year. There's quite a few guys the same age as me (25), so that's real exciting. I'm already familiar with a few guys as well. I'm really happy to be a Blue.

"Last year was a bit of a down year for me. ... the assists were still there, but the goal scoring (down from 26 two seasons ago), not so much. That's definitely something I pride myself in. I like to get into the dirty areas per se, and find the soft spots and find the back of the net. I think I'm a well-rounded player that's going to be able to score and set guys up."

Selected by the Capitals with the No. 25 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, McMichael has 154 points (67 goals, 87 assists) in 315 regular-season games, and eight points (five goals, three assists) in 18 playoff games.

“We would also like to sincerely thank Connor for everything he has contributed to our club," Patrick said. "Since being drafted in 2019, Connor has represented our team with professionalism and class both on and off the ice. We wish him and his family nothing but success as he begins this next chapter with St. Louis.” 

Gastrin was selected by Washington in the second round (No. 37) of the 2025 NHL Draft. The 19-year-old had 24 points (10 goals, 14 assists) in 39 games for MoDo in HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden's second-highest professional league, this season.

The Blues (37-33-12), who finished four points behind the Los Angeles Kings for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Western Conference, now have four picks in the first round of the 2026 draft at KeyBank Center in Buffalo beginning Friday (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS). St. Louis also has picks No. 11, No. 15 (from Detroit Red Wings) and No. 29 (from Colorado Avalanche via New York Islanders).

NHL.com senior writer Tom Gulitti and independent correspondent Lou Korac contributed to this report