The tradeWashington Capitals get: Jordan KyrouSt. Louis Blues get: Connor McMichael, prospect Milton Gastrin and No. 16 in the 2026 NHL DraftDom Luszczyszyn: Don’t let Jordan Kyrou’s lower production — 18 goals and 46 points, down from 36 and 70 the year prior — fool you. He still has a ton of game as a top-line winger and did everything but score for the Blues.Kyrou continued to be a whiz with the puck in all three zones, creating a ton of chances in-zone and being a major threat off the rush. He became more involved in his own end, too, leading to some of the best possession numbers of his career. With Kyrou on the ice, the Blues earned 59.7 percent of expected goals, with the team xG difference per 60 being 1.02 better. That mark led the league, 0.22 ahead of Brandon Hagel and Brady Tkachuk.That’s fantastic company among wingers and showcases the kind of play-driving ability Kyrou flashed this season. Despite the point total, Kyrou finished the season with a Net Rating of plus-7.4, which would’ve been right in line with Aliaksei Protas’ value last season. Adding another first-liner is tidy business for Washington. It’s also classic Caps given their penchant over the last few years for swooping in to add difference-making players who have fallen out of favor with their clubs.Five or 10 years ago, the 46 points Kyrou earned were all that would’ve mattered, and this would’ve been a classic buy-low opportunity for the Capitals acquiring a seemingly overpaid winger. The modern NHL, however, is much more honed in on the big picture, and the Blues deserve a ton of credit for extracting full value here because of it. Getting No. 16, Connor McMichael and an intriguing prospect in Milton Gastrin is a great haul.McMichael should slide in well into St. Louis’ top six, but the big draw is acquiring No. 16. That gives the Blues four (!) picks in this year’s first round, which could set St. Louis up big for years to come.All of that makes this an easy win-win for both sides.Capitals grade: A-Blues grade: A-Sean Gentille: We’ve known for months, if not years, that Capitals general manager Chris Patrick was gunning for another legit top-six offensive talent. That’s not special insight, either; Patrick has come out and said so on a few separate occasions. Washington was in the mix for players like Nikolaj Ehlers and Artemi Panarin, but couldn’t quite close the deal on anybody until Tuesday.Kyrou, as we’ve said for a while, fits the bill in a few important ways. At 28, he lines up directly with the older end of Washington’s (non-Alex Ovechkin) core — Pierre-Luc Dubois, Jakob Chychrun and Dylan Strome are all in their late 20s. Last season was a bit of a weird one for him; he took some major steps as a five-on-five player but also posted just 18 goals and 46 points after four seasons of at least 27 and 67. It’s reasonable to bet that he puts it all together under Spencer Carbery, just like Dubois, Chychrun and Strome have done already. The Capitals have a knack for getting the best out of the players on their roster, and Kyrou’s top end is both pretty undeniable and the exact sort of thing Washington needed to add to be taken seriously as a contender, regardless of whether Ovechkin decides to return for another season.That doesn’t make the deal an obvious loss for the Blues, though. The mix in St. Louis hasn’t been right, at least in terms of winning meaningful games, in quite some time, and Kyrou bears some blame on that front. McMichael took a bit of a step back last season after his 26-goal breakout in 2024-25, but remains a useful, center-capable middle-six piece. Gastrin is a well-regarded, substantive center prospect. Maybe most importantly, St. Louis is adding another prime pick to its impressive draft war chest and taking definitive steps to leave the league’s mushy middle. I’m of the mindset that quality almost always beats quantity, but the Blues’ return at least made me think twice.Capitals grade: ABlues grade: A-