The Philadelphia Flyers and Dallas Stars swapped AHL prospects on Thursday.

In a one-for-one swap, the Philadelphia Flyers traded forward Samu Tuomaala in exchange for defenseman Christian Kyrou in a trade with the Dallas Stars.

Tuomaala, 22, was a second-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft. He has spent his professional career playing for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the AHL. He made his debut in 2022, playing just two games for the Phantoms that year, before going back to Finland.

Tuomaala would return to the Phantoms in 2023, where in two seasons (2023-2025), he had 26 goals and 49 assists for 75 total points in 115 games. His 2023-24 season showed plenty of promise, followed by a 2024-25 season clouded by injury.

Since then, Tuomaala has seemed to be on his way out of the Flyers organization. There was no room for him on the NHL roster, as the wing is already super crowded. Between prospects earning more time and the veterans on the Phantoms, Tuomaala was losing ground.

The Flyers decided to move on from Tuomaala.

Flyers Acquire D Christian Kyrou from Dallas Stars

In exchange for Tuomaala, the Flyers have acquired defenseman Christian Kyrou from the Stars. Kyrou will report to the Phantoms in the AHL.

Christian is the younger brother of St. Louis Blues winger Jordan Kyrou.

Kryou, also 22, was a second-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. He is on the smaller side for defensemen, coming in at 5’11”, 165 lbs per Elite Prospects.

He made his AHL debut in the 2023-24 season with the Texas Stars, scoring eight goals and 15 assists for 23 points in 57 games. The following season was less productive, with fewer games, resulting in four goals and 11 assists for 15 points.

Kyrou is certainly an offensive defenseman who is not known for strong defensive play. Between his smaller size and offense-defenseman play style, I don’t expect him to make a push for the NHL this season or any time soon.

To me, this trade was about two prospects without anywhere to move forward, in need of a change of scenery.

Kyrou spent 21 games with the Erie Otters in 2019-20, which was Flyers’ defenseman Jamie Drysdale’s final year in juniors.

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