Blues 2025-2026 Trade Proposal Thread

[LogosBlue]

In my mind, we have to keep building. Getting the 2027 1st from them is key. The additional 1st this year gives us more latitude to then use them on draft day for what the franchise views as premium picks or "selecting our guy". toss in a C prospect that is playing in the OHL that hits and hustles is a big win in my book.

Aitcheson would be nice but I don't think they are moving him or Ritchie. They may sub Eklund or Eiserman for one of the 1st's.

 

[SirPaste]

In my mind, we have to keep building. Getting the 2027 1st from them is key. The additional 1st this year gives us more latitude to then use them on draft day for what the franchise views as premium picks or "selecting our guy". toss in a C prospect that is playing in the OHL that hits and hustles is a big win in my book.

Aitcheson would be nice but I don't think they are moving him or Ritchie. They may sub Eklund or Eiserman for one of the 1st's.

27 1sts just don’t mean much to me at the point, by the time they are ready to help it’s gonna be at least 3-5 years down the road or longer, we need to start adding young pieces to the core of Thomas, Broberg, Holloway, Hofer etc

 

[Brian39]

Two part what if game....

Would you trade Kyrou for pick 13 + (futures package) and Parayko for the same type of 1st round pick +, if you were willing to offer sheet Leo Carlsson at the cost of 4 first round picks?

I'll edit it with the caveat that you knew Carlsson would sign which would then cost you 4 1st round picks.

I know the Ducks have like 38 million in cap space for next year, but what if?

I would not.

Anaheim isn't letting him go via offer sheet. Our offer sheet would be matched, so it is irrelevant to the types of packages I would trade Kyrou/Parayko for.

 

[Spektre]

I would not.

Anaheim isn't letting him go via offer sheet. Our offer sheet would be matched, so it is irrelevant to the types of packages I would trade Kyrou/Parayko for.

You clearly didn't read my caveat 

 

[bleedblue1223]

If we knew we were guaranteed Carlsson through offer-sheet, I don't really care what the returns on Kyrou and Parayko are. Get 1sts+futures to offset the offer-sheet compensation, get immediate help to push us to contending now, I don't really care, but yeah, it's not happening.

 

[Beauterham]

I think if Kyrou gets traded it will be to NYI or NJ.

And if Parayko gets traded it will be to the Ducks, Sharks or Sabers.

I wouldn't rule out Washington or Anaheim for Kyrou. Seattle was rumored to be very interested in him too, but JR already mentioned a couple of times he doesn't see Kyrou waiving for them. The fact that he already mentioned it a couple of times already tells me someone from Kyrou's side might've whispered that tidbit in his ear.

 

[Blues7]

I would take a pure futures trade for Kyrou (from the Isle) if it included multiple 1st's. Their pick this year and next and maybe Luca Romano. I guess i just see next year as a development year for the upcoming young core. I don't believe the front office will be pushing to make the playoffs either. Of course that's a bonus if they do but I don't think it's their main priority.

I'm not down with trading Parayko to the Ducks. If San Jose were interested, there are some players / deals I would be interested talking to them about.

It sounded like the Blues were really interested in NYI prospect Danny Nelson. So maybe the prospect & the #13th for Kyrou

 

[Bye Bye Blueston]

It sounded like the Blues were really interested in NYI prospect Danny Nelson. So maybe the prospect & the #13th for Kyrou

Strick says no.

 

[Xanadude]

If Seattle and NYI are off the table for Kyrou, I think it's gotta be Washington if we trade him at all. We were heavily scouting them at the deadline, they have a very real need to replace Ovi's scoring long-term and Washington has two firsts, prospects like Cristall and some guys on the roster like McMichael and Sandin who I would love to pry away.

And as much as it's fun to forecast and deliberate trade values, maybe Kyrou's down year and picky NTC choices (which is his right) makes it so that having #25 as our 2RW next year is inevitable.

 

[kimzey59]

If Seattle and NYI are off the table for Kyrou, I think it's gotta be Washington if we trade him at all. We were heavily scouting them at the deadline, they have a very real need to replace Ovi's scoring long-term and Washington has two firsts, prospects like Cristall and some guys on the roster like McMichael and Sandin who I would love to pry away.

And as much as it's fun to forecast and deliberate trade values, maybe Kyrou's down year and picky NTC choices (which is his right) makes it so that having #25 as our 2RW next year is inevitable.

Of the teams that Kyrou was rumored to be willing to waive the NTC for; TB making Connor Geekie available would probably interest me the most.

 

[joe galiba]

I wouldn't rule out Washington or Anaheim for Kyrou. Seattle was rumored to be very interested in him too, but JR already mentioned a couple of times he doesn't see Kyrou waiving for them. The fact that he already mentioned it a couple of times already tells me someone from Kyrou's side might've whispered that tidbit in his ear.

I’m going to say Kyrou and anyone associated with him will have nothing to do with JR

 

[simon IC]

How about something around Connor McMichael and #18 for Kyrou?

 

[taylord22]

How about something around Connor McMichael and #18 for Kyrou?

Assuming we strike out on using Kyrou as part of a bigger swing — and assuming he really prefers to be out vs. in — I think we could do a lot worse than McMichael and 18.

That’s probably the right kind of middle-six center insurance to target. I’m just not sure it’s a deal I’d be thrilled to opt into. McMichael, at this point, strikes me more as a much faster version of Suter than someone with a meaningfully higher offensive ceiling. And I’m guessing the player views himself very differently than that, which is part of why I don’t love being the team on the other side of that RFA negotiation.

Not a deal-breaker by any means, and a lot can shift, but there’s some added complexity there for a player whose profile still feels a little lower-skill than I’d ideally want in a Kyrou return.

 

[simon IC]

Assuming we strike out on using Kyrou as part of a bigger swing — and assuming he really prefers to be out vs. in — I think we could do a lot worse than McMichael and 18.

That’s probably the right kind of middle-six center insurance to target. I’m just not sure it’s a deal I’d be thrilled to opt into. McMichael, at this point, strikes me more as a much faster version of Suter than someone with a meaningfully higher offensive ceiling. And I’m guessing the player views himself very differently than that, which is part of why I don’t love being the team on the other side of that RFA negotiation.

Not a deal-breaker by any means, and a lot can shift, but there’s some added complexity there for a player whose profile still feels a little lower-skill than I’d ideally want in a Kyrou return.

Despite his lack of size, I really like McMichael's defensive game. He plays a smart positional game and uses his speed to break up plays. I think he is a highly intelligent player.
He plays on the PK too. My concerns about him are that he is not great on the boards, and he isn't particularly efficient on the dot.
I would be very happy with this return. I am not sure how McMichael is valued within the Capitals organization.

 

[BleedBlue14]

Assuming we strike out on using Kyrou as part of a bigger swing — and assuming he really prefers to be out vs. in — I think we could do a lot worse than McMichael and 18.

That’s probably the right kind of middle-six center insurance to target. I’m just not sure it’s a deal I’d be thrilled to opt into. McMichael, at this point, strikes me more as a much faster version of Suter than someone with a meaningfully higher offensive ceiling. And I’m guessing the player views himself very differently than that, which is part of why I don’t love being the team on the other side of that RFA negotiation.

Not a deal-breaker by any means, and a lot can shift, but there’s some added complexity there for a player whose profile still feels a little lower-skill than I’d ideally want in a Kyrou return.

Is McMicheal a center or a LW? I don’t have much interest in trying to pigeonhole a guy who’s better on the wing (especially LW) at center. I’m also not sure if he’s a much different player than Kyrou stylistically but worse. I feel like those are more questions for the pro scouting department that I’m sure would be asked. I also don’t really see too big of a reason to add another pick in the teens unless there is an overarching deal that happens.

 

[Xanadude]

Is McMicheal a center or a LW? I don’t have much interest in trying to pigeonhole a guy who’s better on the wing (especially LW) at center. I’m also not sure if he’s a much different player than Kyrou stylistically but worse. I feel like those are more questions for the pro scouting department that I’m sure would be asked. I also don’t really see too big of a reason to add another pick in the teens unless there is an overarching deal that happens.

Read up and watched a bunch of his play when he was in rumors. McMichael hasn't stuck at center in the NHL because he's been awful at faceoffs and has some issues getting outmuscled along the boards, as other posters said. Still, he's defensively strong regardless and can score--I like his game a lot, absolutely love his game if he can stick at C somehow. He's not a similar dude to Kyrou at all, really. Reminds me of Schwartz, just faster.

Another knock on him is that he has a similar progression issue to McTavish: 2 years ago he was a 60 point guy, last year he only had 46, though the defensive metrics were strong each year. With RFA coming up, maybe Washington sees Kyrou as a bigger need for that $.

 

[Brian39]

How about something around Connor McMichael and #18 for Kyrou?

Hard pass. I have absolutely no confidence in McMichael as an NHL center. He's been under 43% at the dot in each of the 3 seasons where he has taken 150+ faceoffs. He was 46.8% in his other full NHL season where he took 109 total faceoffs as a winger who would slide in for the occasional draw. That full season at wing was also his career best season in goals, points, +/-, shots, corsi, and fenwick. It was his 2nd best expected +/- season, with his 1st best being his rookie year where he was more sheltered and played his 2nd most time at wing.

I see a guy who is significantly more effective all over the ice when he plays wing and who also sucks at the dot. I think his best case scenario at center is a 3C who can't be relied on for D zone faceoffs and isn't overly physical.

I also don't see a clear top 6 winger. His career-year was 26 goals and 57 points, but that is the only time he's paced for 20+ goals or 50+ points in a season. We're not talking about a 22 or 23 year old. He just wrapped his age 25 season and is only a year and a half younger than Thomas. Maybe there is a bit more runway, but I kind of think that his age 23 through 25 seasons are fairly predictive of who he is.

He's also due a new contract, has arbitration rights, and can hit UFA as early as 2 years from now. Locking him up for 5+ years right now isn't going to be cheap. If you go short term and he has another 25 goal and 55+ point season you're probably talking about him requiring a Kyrou-like AAV extension to prevent him from going UFA. I don't see a lot of paths to comfortable value on keeping him for more than 3 years.

I don't hate him as a player. I think he's going to have a nice career as a middle 6 winger who can slide into a center role for short spurts when you have injuries. Useful player, but not what I'm looking for as the primary return of a Kyrou trade. I think he'd be a large on-ice downgrade at wing, would be swapping a righty for another lefty, wouldn't upgrade the C/D positions, wouldn't make us bigger or more physical, and wouldn't help our cap situation in any meaningful way. He's 2.5 years younger than Kyrou, but I don't see him being a better player than Kyrou at any point in the 5+ year window we're talking about. That swap just to add pick 18 doesn't appeal to me at all.

 

[taylord22]

Is McMicheal a center or a LW? I don’t have much interest in trying to pigeonhole a guy who’s better on the wing (especially LW) at center. I’m also not sure if he’s a much different player than Kyrou stylistically but worse. I feel like those are more questions for the pro scouting department that I’m sure would be asked. I also don’t really see too big of a reason to add another pick in the teens unless there is an overarching deal that happens.

Just for clarity, I don’t really disagree with any of this. McMichael wouldn’t be my first choice, and I probably framed the center-insurance angle too cleanly.

My broader point is more about Kyrou than McMichael. If Kyrou actively wants out — not just “the Blues are listening,” but the player is ready for a change — then I don’t think this is a situation they can necessarily sit on the way they did with Tarasenko. That team had a lot more veteran insulation, including O’Reilly, and the noise around this feels like it could be more disruptive day to day with the current group - especially given the starts.

And to be clear, we still don’t really know that Kyrou wants out. We’ve heard national smoke about a possible change of scenery, some indications of where he would or wouldn’t accept a trade, and that the Blues may be willing to accommodate it. But I’d be pretty skeptical that JR has much, if any, view into the Kyrou camp after what happened a few years ago.

So that’s the lens for me: if they don’t have to move him, McMichael and 18 isn’t something I’m pounding the table for. But if they do feel like they have to move Kyrou, they could do worse as a fallback. The position question with McMichael matters, and 18 only really matters if it’s part of a bigger plan involving the other picks or another move. I like the general age/profile, but there’s enough uncertainty there that it’s not a deal I’d be excitedly choosing in a vacuum.

My preference would be to keep Kyrou and create enough support around him for a potential rebound year and then reassess how both sides feel, or move him as a part of a package for a younger -elite- lottery ticket.

 

[bleedblue1223]

As someone that thinks both sides should find a move, unless we get a young C that we believe will stick at C or a high-end prospect, I wouldn't move Kyrou this summer. I would bank on him rebounding because I think it's a relatively safe bet, and then if making a move sitll makes sense, do it during the season or next summer.
This is what I think Army has done and what Steen will do, no need to force a trade, I don't think it's at a level where a break-up must happen before the season starts.

 

[LGB]

If we want to try a guy who is somewhere between C and W I think Mittlestadt is interesting. Acquisition cost should be pretty low and if it doesn’t work out we can move on immediately.

 

[BleedBlue14]

Just for clarity, I don’t really disagree with any of this. McMichael wouldn’t be my first choice, and I probably framed the center-insurance angle too cleanly.

My broader point is more about Kyrou than McMichael. If Kyrou actively wants out — not just “the Blues are listening,” but the player is ready for a change — then I don’t think this is a situation they can necessarily sit on the way they did with Tarasenko. That team had a lot more veteran insulation, including O’Reilly, and the noise around this feels like it could be more disruptive day to day with the current group - especially given the starts.

And to be clear, we still don’t really know that Kyrou wants out. We’ve heard national smoke about a possible change of scenery, some indications of where he would or wouldn’t accept a trade, and that the Blues may be willing to accommodate it. But I’d be pretty skeptical that JR has much, if any, view into the Kyrou camp after what happened a few years ago.

So that’s the lens for me: if they don’t have to move him, McMichael and 18 isn’t something I’m pounding the table for. But if they do feel like they have to move Kyrou, they could do worse as a fallback. The position question with McMichael matters, and 18 only really matters if it’s part of a bigger plan involving the other picks or another move. I like the general age/profile, but there’s enough uncertainty there that it’s not a deal I’d be excitedly choosing in a vacuum.

My preference would be to keep Kyrou and create enough support around him for a potential rebound year and then reassess how both sides feel, or move him as a part of a package for a younger -elite- lottery ticket.

For sure on the last paragraph. I just haven’t been looking at Kyrou as a must move and I don’t think they should. He’s signed with term right now. I’m sure if he has asked for a change of scenery the Blues likely aren’t too torn apart about trying to make it work. But I don’t think you can really cater to a player of this magnitude like you can with a Fabbri years ago, and it’s not as dire as a guy like Tarasenko who’s contract is expiring soon.

I don’t know how Steen will operate in this regard, but I’d venture to guess the resounding outcome of that would be hey we’re trying, but it’s got to make sense for us too as it should be for almost any franchise especially when it’s a core piece that you’re moving out and your 2nd leading scorer.

 

[Frenzy31]

For sure on the last paragraph. I just haven’t been looking at Kyrou as a must move and I don’t think they should. He’s signed with term right now. I’m sure if he has asked for a change of scenery the Blues likely aren’t too torn apart about trying to make it work. But I don’t think you can really cater to a player of this magnitude like you can with a Fabbri years ago, and it’s not as dire as a guy like Tarasenko who’s contract is expiring soon.

I don’t know how Steen will operate in this regard, but I’d venture to guess the resounding outcome of that would be hey we’re trying, but it’s got to make sense for us too as it should be for almost any franchise especially when it’s a core piece that you’re moving out and your 2nd leading scorer.

For me, I think it would be good for both the team and Kyrou. With that said, if he is wanting to move on, than I don't want to hear about a NTC. You want to move on, then you move to where I can get the best offer. Otherwise, I hold onto you.

 

[TurgPavs]

He did not. The NFL is the league where guys can hold out during their contract. You are referring to free agency, which is where guys are not currently signed and negotiate contracts. The Petro extension was announced on the 2nd day of training camp in 2013.



Over his first 3 years in the NHL, Petro was 6th in points, 8th in even strength points, and 11th in goals among D men. In his sophomore NHL season, Pietrangelo finished 4th in Norris voting and then in the final season of his ELC he finished 14th.

He had very much established himself as a very high end #1 NHL D man and was the clear #1 D man on the Blues ahead of Jay Bouwmeester, who was making $6.68M against the cap.

It's asinine to act like it was remotely unreasonable for him to "demand" top 10 D money after he had established himself as a top 10 NHL D man by age 23 and he provided significantly more than fair value on that contract.

Yeah Iam not going to use Points to the degree you are, when determining a defensemen's worth. Maybe that's an incorrect approach, who knows.....

Petro's First 3 Seasons
Overall Points Top 10
E Karlsson Byfuglien Yandle Letang Weber Boyle Petro Suter Chara Keith
Note: Burns 19th, Doughty 27th, Lidstrom 28th, Carlson 31st, Giordano 32nd, Hedman 48th

Even Strength Points Top 10
Yandle, Karlsson, Carle, Byfuglien, Letang, Chara, Carlson, Weber, Petro, Burns
Note: Doughty 17th, Hedman 18th, Suter 21st, PK Subban 29th

Chara, Karlsson, Giordano, Hedman, Doughty, Burns, Keith, Letang, PK Subban, S. Weber, R Suter, Lidstrom.....
All Norris Winners or finalists, most of them, multiple times.....Petro was never a finalist

I would have a tough time putting Petro into the top 10 in that time frame.