I love me some Jordan Kyrou, but more than 8 million a year for a player that hovers aroound the 70 point mark is a little too much. Krug is awful defensively, he's signed until he's 35, and he'd be at best 3rd pairing in Carolina... just doesn't work for Carolina

How are you going to downplay someone getting 70-75 points the past two seasons?

That’s good for top 40 in the league in point production. Virtually right in line with Aho.

Krug thrives in a 3rd pair PP1role. The issue is Carolina doesn’t need that unless Gostisbehere walks and burns falls off.

It’s wild to me though to act like 8.125 for a guy with Kyrous production at ages 23 and 24 is a “little too much”.

Ghost is going to walk, but even if Burns falls off, it's not worth paying for a PP specialist. Skjei has shown he can do that too.

Kyrou and Aho are not comparable. Aho scores at above a point per game pace despite playing on a team where offense goes to die. Aho is also possibly the most complete two way centerman in hockey right now analytically. Stop it.

8.125 for a guy that cannot hit the point per game mark is a little much. Hopefully he can find that next little bit of production, but it's still a what-if. There's nothing wrong with Kyrou, but there are better value options out there.

Kyrou would be an excellent pickup, and I think he could find even more offense with Carolina, but taking on Krug’s 6.5 until he is 35 is not worth it. Burns likely won’t fall off, and if Ghost is signed, there is no reason to waste a bunch of cap space on Krug. Ghost at least has improved defensively, the same can’t be said with Krug. Besides, the cap complexion for the Canes completely nullifies any chance of this happening.

(sigh)

Say it with me: We are not trading Kyrou. Then write it down.

So is 8+ million too much for Aho, considering he’s had as many 70 point seasons as Kyrou and may not even reach it this season?

Aho's over the point per game mark... Aho's also had a 45+ goal pace season (the 2019-20 season the pandemic cut short), he has multiple PPG seasons, and is a PPG player in the playoffs. He's also one of the best defensive forwards in the NHL... none of this applies to Kyrou. Stop it. Kyrou is a fantastic player, he truly is. But his inability to score at a PPG rate combined with the defensive skills that aren't exceptional make me wary of that 8+ million a year. Would prefer if his cap hit was a little lower.

Aho has 64 points in 69 games this season. Not a PPG pace. He also hasn’t had an 45 goal season, let alone an 40 goal season, although yes he was on pace in the lockout season but there’s no guarantee he’d get there. Obviously he’s still worth more than 8 million though. And Kyrou is as well

Buddy, you crack me up in all the best ways! I know you're tired of me trying to create a scenario where moving Kyrou makes sense, but he reminds me so much of the young David Perron who really didn't develop his game until he had been bounced around the league for several years. Let's face it, Kyrou is not playing a complete 200' game after 5 years of Berube and Ott and playing alongside Ryan O'Reilly, David Perron, Braden Schenn, etc. Now that he's guaranteed an additional $65+M prior to ever demonstrating that he could, or would, play a mature NHL game, he's comfortable and unlikely to change in this environment. And don't underestimate the negative impact his soft play has on the team. The guys doing the heavy lifting, battling for pucks along the boards, going to the front of the net, backchecking, taking hits to make plays, etc. get tired of the double-standard. Schwartz and Schenn were sick and tired of beating their brains out while Tarasenko cruised the tops of the circles. Now that you're rebuilding the team, a lot of new faces and some quite young, it's important to get the culture right.

I think Kyrou has a high ceiling, but his maturation as a player has stalled. I think he needs a change of scenery and could have a hugely positive impact as a complimentary piece on a contending team, e.g. Brett Hull with Dallas and then Detroit.

I think Krug makes a lot of sense for CAR. Although the Canes are a legit contender, their PP is deficient. Krug is not the top pairing D that delusional Doug Armstrong hoped he would be, but he's a serviceable bottom 4 D with exceptional offensive ability. CAR could easily manage his minutes and benefit from his play on the PP. Add Kyrou to the equation and the Cane's PP could be elite.

I get that Krug's contract is an albatross, but given the huge amount of cap space the Blues would acquire in such a move, and given the influx of young, cost-controlled RFAs heading for the roster in the near future, I think the Blues could comfortably manage to retain $2M/year on Krug.