I don't really keep track of who is pro or anti- Kyrou but I know I've got at least one of his biggest haters on ignore. But I'm not basing my opinion on anything besides what I'm seeing in games. When him and Thomas signed those big contracts, we needed them to step up and lead the team. I think everyone can see that Thomas has raised his game this year. He's winning a lot of puck battles, making great plays every night and has established himself as a star.
From what I can see, Kyrou hasn't taken a similar step forward. Has his play away from the puck improved? Sure, to an extent. Most young players need time to become good 200-foot players and Kyrou is getting there. But I won't give him that much credit for hustling to get back, block shots and try to break up plays on defense because every player should do that whether they are a first or fourth line player. So while it is good that he's improved his defensive play, I don't think it makes up for the drop in offense when you consider he's now an $8 million player.
I can see some similarities with Tarasenko, although I never questioned Vladi's drive and competitiveness unlike Kyrou. But when Tarasenko signed his big contact, he had scored 37 goals the year before (just like Kyrou) and followed that up with 40, 39, 33, 33 goals and was considered a top 5 goal scorer in the league until his injury issues. In Kyrou's first season after the big contract his defense may have improved but his offense has taken a step back. I'm not buying the bad luck argument as his finishing ability has been lacking all season long.
I'm not giving up on Kyrou, but I am fairly disappointed that he hasn't taken a bigger step forward this year. He's had some decent stretches, but like I said before. Teams need their best players to come up big from Feb-April and so far he hasn't done that. We need more than 2 goals in 15 games from our top winger when we're pushing for a playoff spot. There are other guys who haven't met expectations, but it doesn't change the fact that Kyrou hasn't either.