Get to Know the Newest Washington Capital: Jordan Kyrou

Jordan Kyrou is the newest member of the Washington Capitals after Tuesday’s trade from the St. Louis Blues. Washington traded the 16th overall pick in Friday’s draft, restricted free agent center Connor McMichael, and prospect Milton Gastrin to acquire the 28-year-old winger.

Kyrou spent eight seasons with the Blues, scoring 168 goals and 378 points in 488 games. He adds high-end speed and goal-scoring ability to the Capitals’ top-six while also being reliable defensively. He is in the middle of an 8-year, $65 million contract signed with St. Louis in Sept. 2022 (according to PuckPedia) and will cost $8.1 million against Washington’s salary cap through the 2030-31 season.

A Remarkably Healthy Stay in St. Louis

As a 20-year-old rookie in 2018-19, Kyrou scored one goal and three points through 16 games before a kneecap injury ended his first pro season early. Kyrou watched his team reach the 2019 Stanley Cup Final and lift the 35-pound silver trophy from the sidelines.

He began the next season with the San Antonio Rampage, where he scored at nearly a point-per-game pace. Kyrou tallied nine goals and 15 points in 16 games before a mid-December callup brought him back to the NHL for good. At 21, he recorded nine points in 28 games before the 2019-20 season was suspended in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When play finally resumed in August 2020, Kyrou skated in five contests but did not record a point playing in his first NHL postseason. 

From there, Kyrou blossomed into a reliable top-six winger with a 14-goal, 35-point campaign in 55 contests during the shortened 56-game season in 2020-21. He continued to score at an impressive clip with 27 goals in 2021-22 before consecutive 30-plus-goal campaigns over the next three seasons. However, a disappointing 18-goal, 46-point season in 72 games in 2025-26 seemed to make him prime trade candidate this summer. 

Kyrou has missed only 12 games since the start of the 2023-24 season, including a pair of minor injuries that cost him a combined 10 contests this season. Otherwise, he has appeared in 315 of the last 328 regular-season games for the Blues, a 96% of contests, over the last four seasons. Kyrou’s best postseason run was in the 2022 NHL Playoffs, when he scored seven goals in 12 games. Overall, he has 11 goals and 13 points in 28 playoff games.

Kyrou Waives No-Trade Clause for Washington

After eight seasons and over 500 games (regular season and playoffs) with one franchise, Kyrou earned the right to choose his next destination thanks to a clause in his deal. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman specifically noted that Kyrou waived his no-trade clause to call Washington his next home.

Of note: Kyrou waived his no-trade to go to the Capitals

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 23, 2026

The Capitals announced on social media that Kyrou will wear number 25, the same number he wore in St. Louis. He is a strong bounce-back candidate following a down season and has been a consistent scoring threat in the Western Conference for most of the past decade. 

Perfect Winger Fit in Washington

Kyrou will add speed to complement hard-nosed players like Aliaksei Protas and Tom Wilson in Washington’s lineup this fall. Perhaps he will connect with a younger forward, like Ryan Leonard, to create a dynamic secondary scoring punch on the second line. Of course, Alex Ovechkin’s presence lingers in the top six as a decision on his NHL future has yet to be announced. Capitals fans will have to wait until later this summer to see how all of those pieces come together.  

The Capitals’ pro scouting staff has done an excellent job of identifying these types of players over the last few off-seasons, including trading for Jakob Chychrun and Pierre-Luc Dubois. There is little reason to think that the scouting staff’s recommendation on Kyrou would be off base. The Capitals have added a 30-goal scorer in his prime to a group that fit his window for success.