Capitals acquire Kyrou from Capitals for McMichael, Gastrin, pick
The Washington Capitals have acquired forward Jordan Kyrou from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for forward Connor McMichael, prospect Milton Gastrin, and the No. 16 overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, the club announced Tuesday afternoon.
Kyrou, 28, collected 18 goals and 46 points in 72 games with the Blues during the 2025-26 regular season. The 6’1″ right wing is under contract through 2031 at an $8.125 million cap hit, and his contract includes a full no-trade clause, meaning he had to approve Tuesday’s trade.
McMichael, 25, is the main piece going to St. Louis in this trade. The 6′ center racked up 14 goals and 46 points in 78 games with the Capitals in the 2025-26 season; the previous year, he scored 26 goals and 57 points in 82 games with Washington.
The Kyrou/McMichael swap was the third major trade involving young NHL players to occur on Tuesday, following the Calgary Flames‘ deal for Simon Nemec and the Ottawa Senators‘ acquisition of William Eklund.
The Blues originally selected Kyrou in the second round (No. 35 overall) of the 2016 NHL Draft, using the pick they received from the Flames that year in exchange for goaltender Brian Elliott. Kyrou debuted with the Blues in 2018-19 and ultimately appeared in 488 games with the club over parts of eight seasons, collecting 168 goals and 378 points.
Kyrou reached the 30-goal plateau in three consecutive seasons with the Blues prior to the 2025-26 campaign, which was his least productive to date as a full-time NHLer. The Toronto product, who has 11 goals and 13 points in 28 playoff games with St. Louis, has been heavily involved in on-and-off trade chatter over the past few seasons.
McMichael projects to play big minutes in St. Louis after developing into a quality complementary piece in Washington over the past three seasons. A first-round pick (No. 25 overall) of the Capitals in 2019, McMichael has collected 67 goals and 154 points in 315 career games with the club, adding five goals and eight points in 18 playoff contests.
Gastrin, 19, was a second-round pick (No. 37 overall) of the Capitals in 2025. The 6′ center spent the 2025-26 season with MoDo Hockey Ornskoldsvik in Sweden’s second-tier Allsvenskan league, collecting 10 goals and 24 points in 39 games.
After Tuesday’s trade, the Blues now possess four picks (No. 11, 15, 16, and 29) in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft. The Capitals still own the No. 18 overall pick, which they received from the Anaheim Ducks in the John Carlson trade during the 2025-26 season.