The Montreal Canadiens and St. Louis Blues connected on a pretty sizeable trade this offseason.
Former first-round picks Zack Bolduc and Logan Mailloux were swapped in a one-for-one deal that both sides are excited about.
While that was a notable move, it sounds like the Canadiens and Blues were originally discussing a much bigger trade.
Jordan Kyrou was in rumors throughout the summer, often connected to Montreal, so it makes sense to hear his name involved. It felt as if Kyrou came close to becoming a Canadien on several occasions, though it’s now been revealed what Doug Armstrong was seeking in any deal involving the star winger.
Analyst Marco Normandin shared on the recent episode of the “Poolcast” that he heard the cost of doing business with St. Louis would have been defenseman Kaiden Guhle.
“From what I had heard, there really were discussions. At first, it was a bigger transaction. Mailloux and Bolduc were included and all that, but they couldn’t come to an agreement on the Kyrou part, so they just completed the part involving Bolduc and Mailloux. But from what I’m told, from a fairly well-informed source, it would have cost Guhle if they wanted Kyrou,” Normandin said.
The 27-year-old Kyrou’s no-trade clause came into effect on July 1, and he’ll now enter the third season of the eight-year, $65 million contract extension signed with the Blues back in 2022.
Montreal has enough talent on the wing
Jordan Kyrou would undoubtedly have been a nice addition, but given the high-end talent the Montreal Canadiens already have at the position, it wasn’t worth moving Kaiden Guhle.
Cole Caufield, Ivan Demidov, Patrik Laine, and Juraj Slafkovsky are all tremendous top-six wingers, so acquiring Kyrou would have just created even more of a logjam up front.
The Canadiens and Blues could still revisit these talks in the future, though the ball is now in Kyrou’s court as to whether he’s willing to accept a move.
