The Washington Capitals sought out Jordan Kyrou. That’s how trades work.
They decided they wanted the talented center from the St. Louis Blues, and so they made a deal happen to get him to the nation’s capital.
But the weirdest thing has happened since — the Caps are using Kyrou like a player they didn’t want.
Capitals Hardly Playing Jordan Kyrou
The Capitals have played Kyrou just 12 minutes and 57 seconds per night through six games. That’s the lowest playing time he has gotten since the 2019-20 season when he was just breaking into the NHL.
It’s something that has Capitals fans trying to figure out the scoop on social media, but it’s simply something that doesn’t add up.
Kyrou played more than this in St. Louis, and he was quite productive. He had seasons of 37, 31, and 36 goals from 2022 through 2025.
Last season, he fell off to 46 points (18 goals, 28 assists) in 72 games, but the Blues were in quite the rut, and so it wasn’t just a Kyrou thing.
Kyrou is still just 28, so this isn’t a case of putting a guy on the outskirts of the lineup as he ages or declines.
So far, Kyrou is a minus-6, which may have a bit to do with his time, but it’s so early that such a sample is only so useful.
Kyrou has one goal and one assist through six games, and he’s put six shots on goal.
There may not be a perfect explanation. The reality is that Kyrou’s usage is simply confusing given that the Capitals just traded for him.
Jordan Kyrou Trade
The Capitals traded three assets to the Blues for Kyrou.
They sent them a 2026 first-round pick, which was used to take Maddox Dagenais.
The Capitals also traded Milton Gastrin and Connor McMichael to St. Louis.
This was very much a trade about getting better for the future for the Blues, and the opposite was true for the Capitals. They got Kyrou so that he could contribute immediately to a team that’s in win-now mode and also brought aboard Alex Tuch this season to join Alex Ovechkin for what is his last season.
It can be tough sometimes to incorporate a new player, and so the blame here doesn’t necessarily rest on any one side of the situation.
But the reality is that the Capitals likely hoped to be getting more out of Kyrou, and one way to help that happen is to simply put him on the ice more and let him do his thing.
Capitals Hardly Playing Jordan Kyrou After Blues Trade