On Thursday night, the St. Louis Blues [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/st-louis-blues] made a statement when they healthy scratched forward Jordan Kyrou [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/latest-news/new-york-islanders-mathew-barzal-jordan-kyrou-st-louis-blues-noah-dobson]. The 27-year-old, who is in season three of an eight-year deal worth $8.125 million, only had four goals with four assists through 14 games this season and was a -8. The Blues, who did notch a 3-0 shutout win over the Buffalo Sabres in Kyrou's absence, 5-8-2 on the season, just two points from the Western Conference floor. Leading up to the 2025 NHL Draft, Kyrou's name appeared in many trade rumors primarily because his no-trade clause was set to kick in on July 1. Per industry sources, the Blues had poked around on the New York Islanders [http://thn.com/isles] defenseman Noah Dobson, and the asking price for the 25-year-old offensive-defenseman would have likely been Kyrou, a potential 1-for-1, if you will. Whether the Blues were serious about moving Kyrou or just testing the waters to see what the value was, his being healthy-scratched this early in this season doesn't turn down the volume on those trade speculations. It's been tough sledding for Kyrou this season for sure, but he reached the 70-point mark in 2024-25, which was the third time he’s done so in his seven-year NHL career. He recorded 36 goals, one short of his career high, and 34 assists in 82 games. He is a top-six talent that many teams would love, but given his no-trade clause, Kyrou's future is in his own hands. The New York Islanders [http://thn.com/isles] should be all over Kyrou if he becomes truly available. Many viewed this Islanders' season as a step back to take two steps forward, and that first-year general manager Mathieu Darche will be selling at this year's deadline, which comes on March 6. But, with the emergence of Matthew Schaefer and what the immediate future now looks like, could the Islanders be buyers? Could they go out and get a player like Kyrou that will help them in the short term, in a bid to make the playoffs, and someone who fits the long-term game plan? When Mathew Barzal went down with his season-ending injury last February, Kyrou seemed like a perfect acquisition to counteract the loss while making the Islanders faster and more dynamic once No. 13 returned. Now, with Darche and Patrick Roy wanting to play that speedy transition game, Kyrou is even more of a fit than he was a few months ago. As for fitting Kyrou in under the cap, the Islanders would have no issues. The Islanders could add Semyon Varlamov's $2.75 million on Long-Term Injured Reserve, joining Pierre Engvall's $3 million. That would leave the Islanders with $1.623 million left to clear, as they have $752,000 in cap space before those moves. With the Islanders' rapid rise in the prospect pool world, they could part ways with one, along with picks and a rostered NHLer that makes more than league minimum -- Maxim Tsyplakov and his $2.25M AAV stand out just because he's not playing. Could you imagine a top line of Barzal-Horvat-Kyrou? Nothing is imminent on the trade front at this moment, but the Islanders should be keeping tabs on the Kyrou situation very closely.
