“A brother will always stand by you.”
Despite their five-year age difference, Christian and Jordan Kyrou are arguably one of the best brother sets in the league.
For those unfamiliar with the Kyrou brothers, Christian, 20, was born on September 16, 2003, and Jordan, 25, was born on May 5, 1998. Both brothers — and a sister named Matina — were born in Toronto, Ontario, to a family of Greek descent. Christian is a defenseman for the AHL’s Texas Stars in Cedar Park, Texas, while Jordan is a right winger for the NHL’s St. Louis Blues in St. Louis, Missouri.
The Dallas Stars reportedly won’t bring back Jamie Benn’s older brother, Jordie Benn, so let’s look at a possible trade situation, which is a long shot, but I’d like to see — if I had it my way like when I’m at Burger King.
The St. Louis Blues recently fired their head coach, Craig Berube, and who knows what could happen next? The Blues are allegedly a toxic organization, including some Blues fans. But I have my opinion based on my previous experience, and you should research to create your own opinion.
The NHL is a business, and while we likely won’t witness a Kyrou reunion in Dallas, I won’t rule anything out because anything could happen. But there’s a catch, as Jordan signed an eight-year, $65 million contract extension with the Blues on September 13, 2022. Here’s a lone reason why I’m for Jordan being traded and two reasons why I’m against a trade that’s a double-edged sword — a pain point if you’re a Stars fan and a sigh of relief if you’re a Blues fan.
A Kyrou Trade Could Help Christian Become an Everyday NHL Player in Dallas
Christian Kyrou has a promising future as a professional hockey player. Christian may be in Jordan’s shadow, but there’s a chance he can make a name for himself soon. Christian, however, needs to work on his consistency by maintaining his point totals.
By having Jordan in the Dallas area, Christian could get some motivation to make the Dallas Stars’ roster while getting quality guidance and perhaps benefiting from training and working out with his older brother. Christian is on the shorter side at 5’10” but has the potential to earn a Stars roster spot with the right folks and resources, respectively. He can be an everyday NHL player in Dallas sometime.
Dallas Stars Should Pass on Jordan’s Contract, Even if It’s Changeable in a Few Years
As much as I want to see the Dallas Stars offer Jordan Kyrou a contract, I doubt this would happen. Jordan signed an eight-year, $65 million contract extension in September 2022, and the Stars’ salary cap proves why they wouldn’t (and shouldn’t) make a massive trade for an NHL player like Jordan.
Jordan can be a game-changing player, and I know this for sure. But he has been having his ups and downs, including a few scoring slumps like the four-game scoring slump a few months ago when he bounced back with a three-point game (one goal and two assists) in a game against the Montreal Canadians.
Jordan’s on-ice struggles might’ve been blown out of proportion by some Blues fans. Jordan had his ups and downs, but he’s not the only one to blame. He has reportedly made controversial comments about his then-head coach, Craig Berube, but he said what he said. Also, he has the right to freedom of speech.
In case you missed it, Jordan got emotional and fought back tears when he talked to Blues reporters after the Blues’ 4-1 win over the Senators. He said it was tough to hear Blues fans booing him at home. I don’t blame him at all. If I played in the NHL, I’d probably react and speak similarly to the media. I know it’s not the entire Blues fanbase, but I don’t condone what the handful of Blues fans did.
The Dallas Stars would benefit from trading for Jordan, a talented player with heart and passion, but his current contract extension wouldn’t be worth the money. Plus, Dallas should call up some Texas players, such as Logan Stankoven, Mavrik Bourque, and Remi Poirier.
Christian Needs Some Time With Texas Stars
There has been a lot of coverage of the Dallas Stars’ offensive prospects but not so much about the defensive ones. Christian Kyrou, also known as Jordan Kyrou’s brother, is one of Dallas’ top defensive prospects. Christian’s youth, defensive talent, and accurate shooting can help him stand out and hopefully make the Dallas roster one day.
Christian is a dynamic offensive defenseman. But there aren’t many openings to fill the Dallas defense with a few young defensemen in the running. Also, there seems to be a slight level of competition for a young defenseman to get on Miro Heiskanen’s level.
Despite some shaky moments, Christian generally succeeded in the OHL. He had his freshman season in 2021-22 with the Erie Otters with 60 points (18 goals and 42 assists), 44 penalty minutes, and a -3 rating in 68 regular season games. He followed with a lower sophomore season in 2022-23 with the Otters with 36 points (8 goals and 28 assists), 24 penalty minutes, and a -10 rating in 27 regular season games. He finished his OHL career with the Sarnia Sting in 2022-23, where he recorded 41 points (12 goals and 29 assists), 20 penalty minutes, and a +20 rating in 37 regular season games and nine points (1 goal and 8 assists), six penalty minutes, and a +1 rating in 14 postseason games.
Christian apparently had some trouble adjusting to the AHL this season. Yes, we should be proud of Christian for scoring his first professional goal against the Milwaukee Admirals, but he has to continue adjusting in the AHL for an NHL opportunity, especially with scoring more goals and finding the back of the net from the blueline. It’s safe to say Christian is on fire, but he’s not quite there yet, and a Dallas Stars trade for Jordan won’t fix his defensive game, only his confidence, determination, etc.
ITR 43: It's Winning Time – Inside The Rink
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