Sometimes the most mature decision an organization can make is recognizing that an athlete’s best interests and the team’s align in opposite directions. For the St. Louis Blues and Jordan Kyrou, that moment may have arrived.
Through 67 games this season, Kyrou has 17 goals and 24 assists for 41 points. On a per-game basis, he’s on pace for roughly 50 points over a full season. His shooting percentage sits at 10.3 percent, the lowest of his NHL career. These numbers don’t tell a story of collapse so much as stagnation of a player who isn’t in rhythm, isn’t connecting, and by most objective measures, isn’t thriving in his current environment.
But here’s what matters more than the numbers: the Blues have given this man every opportunity. They’ve been patient. They’ve deployed him in favorable situations with his offensive zone start percentage at 65.9. His Corsi For percentage at 55.2 shows he’s still controlling play at a respectable rate. The team has invested in him, has shown they still believe in him, and have continued to place him in positions to succeed. And yet, something isn’t working. That’s not a reflection of Kyrou’s worth as a player or a person. Sometimes, it’s simply a matter of fit.
The trajectory since his 2021-22 All-Star campaign (75 points) tells the story. He’s been a 60-to-70-point right winger for four consecutive seasons: 73 points, 67 points, 70 points, and now 41 (on pace). Last season offered optimism—70 points, plus-23, and a 15.1 percent shooting percentage that suggested something was clicking again. This year, the efficiency cratered. The connection broke.
His underlying metrics suggest the issue isn’t that he can’t play. It’s that he’s not playing well HERE. A player who controls possession at a 55.2 percent rate but shoots at 10.3 percent isn’t untalented—he’s likely pressing, searching, unhappy. The plus-minus of minus-8 this season hints at a player who might benefit from a mental reset as much as a tactical one.
That’s where a trade becomes not a cutoff, but a kindness. Kyrou is 27 years old. He has years of productive hockey left. But those years might be better spent in a different uniform, in a different system, with different linemates. A change of scenery can reinvigorate a player who has exhausted his chemistry with a franchise. It happens regularly in professional sports, and it’s rarely anyone’s fault. It’s just circumstance.
The Blues have invested appropriately and given Kyrou every chance to find his stride. They’ve brought him along his entire NHL career, supported him through ups and downs, and continued to give him quality minutes. That patience is admirable. But patience doesn’t mean forever. Sometimes the kindest thing you can do for someone is to acknowledge that a fresh start might be better for everyone—for him, for the team’s competitive window, and for both parties to move forward without resentment or regret.
If the Blues can find a trade partner this summer willing to take on Kyrou’s contract, they should seriously consider it. Not because he’s broken. Not because he’s peaked. But because sometimes doing right by a player means recognizing when it’s time to let him find success elsewhere.
Kyrou deserves that chance. And the Blues, by facilitating it, would be demonstrating something increasingly rare in professional sports: putting the person first.