Last week, I all but ruled out any possibility of Jordan Kyrou coming to the Detroit Red Wings if general manager Doug Armstrong wanted to get rid of his contract. But then I listened to a segment on the NHL Network's YouTube Channel featuring Armstrong, who broke down his reasons for trading Zack Bolduc for Logan Mailloux.
While the trade seemed lopsided after Bolduc outplayed expectations, it did fulfill a need for the Blues defensive rotation with an NHL-caliber talent and one that needs to get younger. That said, there's a chance, if the Wings (or anyone) traded for Kyrou, they could end up getting a steal here.
Looking at the Blues lineup, there's a good chance they'd like to sign players like Dylan Holloway, Philip Broberg, and maybe even Mailloux to extensions at some point this season. But right now, Kyrou's cap hit could cause trouble in 2026-27 and beyond since Jake Neighbours, Joel Hofer, and Jimmy Snuggerud will also be eligble for extensions starting in 2026-27.
St. Louis Blues contract issues makes a Kyrou trade to the Detroit Red Wings possible
In other words, there are a lot of youngsters the Blues need to re-sign, and Kyrou's contract could get in the way. The Wings also have players who'll be eligible for extensions this season and next year, like Alex DeBrincat, Elmer Soderblom, Simon Edvinsson, Albert Johansson, Marco Kasper, and Sebastian Cossa.
But they also have about $12 million more in projected cap space than the Blues, and that could be a game-changer. That said, the price for Kyrou could be smaller than one may think, especially since they'd still be, at the end of the day, taking on his contract.
Armstrong's also shown he's more than fine with going a route that will help the entire team, or something he feels would. In that interview linked above, he talked about "calculated risks," and it tells me he'd be cool with a rather 'lopsided' deal, especially if it meant moving the contract.
This means the Red Wings could get a good deal for a player like Jordan Kyrou
Doug Armstrong probably wouldn't get anyone like Marco Kasper, for example, if Steve Yzerman was interested in acquiring Jordan Kyrou. While the trade wouldn't look like an up-and-coming NHL star in Bolduc for an unproven product like Mailloux, there's a good chance the Wings could move someone like Elmer Soderblom alongside a first-round pick for Kyrou.
While Soderblom will be a restricted free agent in 2027, he didn't sign a deal for a massive cap hit, one that clocked in at $1.125 over the next two years. Soderblom also has top-six potential, and acquiring him would mirror Dylan Holloway, who was a lower-liner in Edmonton before breaking out in 2024-25.
Soderblom's the kind of player who could also be a long-term fixture somewhere, either in Detroit or elsewhere. Putting him in Arch City would help the Blues' cap situation for the upcoming season, while Kyrou could easily fit into the Red Wings' long-term plans.
While a trade like this wouldn't make sense to some, it's more of Armstrong potentially wanting to move Kyrou's contract to free up cap space and re-sign current talent that would make a deal like this thrive. And it would mean the Wings wouldn't have to give up any high-end prospects or high-end core players.
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