The Ottawa Senators have been linked to Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou of the St. Louis Blues in trade speculation. Kyrou is the better fit and a worthwhile trade target.
After their seriously disappointing exit from the playoffs, the Ottawa Senators might look to add a high-scoring forward.
The one team they should be targeting is one of the few teams reportedly willing to part ways with relatively young veterans.
That team is the St. Louis Blues – a franchise currently in transition as longtime GM Doug Armstrong hands the reins over to former star player Alexander Steen.
But while there's reportedly been interest from the Senators in Blues center Robert Thomas, the player Ottawa ought to be targeting is right winger Jordan Kyrou.
Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman said in March there was a belief that the Senators showed interest in adding Thomas at the trade deadline. Thomas even centered a line with Senators center Dylan Cozens in Canada's first game of the World Championship on Friday, with Cozens playing on the right wing.
But you can argue the Sens need to address a winger rather than a center, which is what Thomas is. Cozens is effective down the middle and won 53.2 percent of his 818 faceoffs this season, so he shouldn't move to the right wing.
With Tim Stutzle, Cozens and Shane Pinto as their top three centers, Thomas doesn't make as much sense as Kyrou does to their top six, even if Thomas is generally a more effective player than Kyrou.
Last season, Kyrou had a down year, posting only 18 goals in 72 games. But in the three years prior, Kyrou had at least 31 goals and 67 points.
Like Thomas, Kyrou is signed through 2031 at $8.125 million per season. The 28-year-old Kyrou is one year older than Thomas, but that could mean he'll come cheaper for the Senators in a trade.
Certainly, Ottawa must make a choice regarding veteran right winger and pending UFA Claude Giroux. The 38-year-old said he'd like to return to the Senators if he wants to play another season, but his average ice time decreased from 18:12 last season to 16:18 this year, and his 49 points in 82 games aren't really convincing enough for him to remain a top-six forward. If he becomes a third-line forward or does not return, Kyrou can take those minutes in the top six.
Thomas and Kyrou each have full no-trade clauses in their deal, but Senators GM Steve Staios' job is to sell the team and the city to players. Having the chance to get off a retooling team in the ultra-competitive Central Division and move to an up-and-coming Sens team could prove very attractive to Kyrou.
Ottawa was a pretty decent offensive team overall, scoring the eighth-most goals in the NHL this season. They just struggled to do much of anything against the Carolina Hurricanes, managing only five goals in a 4-0 series loss.
It would ultimately be short-sighted to say the Sens have no room to improve even more on offense. They don't need to be a Cup front-runner right away, but without another infusion of scoring power, they aren't likely to get to the Eastern Conference final next year, let alone win four rounds.
Kyrou and Thomas are Ontario kids, so the opportunity to play much closer to home should be a key selling point for Staios as he gives them the justification for accepting a trade to the Senators.
Aside from this season, Kyrou has consistently shown the ability to be a difference-maker on offense. Besides, only one Blues forward, Pavel Buchnevich, played more than 75 games this season, and Kyrou wasn't the only Blues forward to see a drop in production.
Kyrou won't break the Senators' bank next season, as they're projected to have about $16.1 million in cap space to use this summer. The bigger challenge comes in 2027-28, when Drake Batherson, Warren Foegele, Michael Amadio, Artem Zub and Tyler Kleven need new contracts, and then Brady Tkachuk and Thomas Chabot's contracts expire in the summer of 2028.
But if the Senators want to make a significant push, the trade could be worth it if the Blues get the right assets in return.
Postmedia reported the Blues want a high-end player, a top prospect and a first-round pick in return for Kyrou.
The Senators do have their first-rounders in 2027 and 2028 available to trade, and although their prospect cupboard isn't the best, they could peddle a young defenseman in negotiations.
What kind of high-end player the Blues want is the bigger uncertainty regarding whether the Sens should try to acquire Kyrou right away or negotiate something different. But if this is the price for Kyrou, then the cost to acquire Thomas is almost certainly too high for Ottawa
The Senators aren't that far off from being a true threat to win a Stanley Cup, but they need one more major trade to get there. The Blues might just be the team that can best help them add that key piece – and Kyrou could be that piece.
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