NHL insider wonders if Canadiens circle back once again on Jordan Kyrou trade talks

The Montreal Canadiens are in a much better position at this point of the season compared to last, but that doesn’t mean they should sit back at the trade deadline. It almost requires more urgency to get a deal done, and one player they have really had their eye on is Jordan Kyrou with the St. Louis Blues.

Recently, David Pagnotta with The Fourth Period was on The Sheet with Jeff Marek and was asked what he thought the Montreal Canadiens might do at the deadline. Pagnotta mentioned that another center has seemingly been a priority, but the development of Oliver Kapanen has not made that a need.

Rather, the focus now shifts to adding another forward to that top line with Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki, with Kyrou potentially being the answer. “If in a perfect world, that’s where they want to go, I am wondering if they circle back again for like the fourth time to St. Louis about Kyrou,” Pagnotta said.

Jordan Kyrou would be an excellent fit with Montreal Canadiens but comes with significant challenges

There is no question that Jordan Kyrou would be a perfect fit for the Montreal Canadiens on that top line. He has had no problem finding the net with over 30 goals in the three seasons leading up to this one.

He has had a bit of a down year as he has only 13 goals, along with 19 assists, but that is probably due more to the struggles of the Blues rather than a concern about his talent. Kyrou is also only 27 years old, so adding a player like him adds to the young core that the Canadiens have built recently.

Where the challenge lies in terms of getting a trade done is with Kyrou’s contract, as he has five years left past this season with an AAV of $8.125 million. The Canadiens would probably need to move a player like Patrik Laine to ensure they can fit that salary under the cap this season.

That is something the Canadiens would need to figure out, and before any trade, they would have that issue worked out. However, what they don’t have control over is whether Kyrou would want to come to Montreal, and he has a say in that as a no-movement clause kicked in at the start of this year.

The no-movement clause might be why the Canadiens have had to circle back multiple times as Pagnotta noted on Kyrou. However, if this is something the player ultimately decides to waive, this would probably be the ideal move for Montreal to put them into the discussion with the top teams in the Eastern Conference as legitimate Stanley Cup contenders.