The terms of the contract may look familiar to fans.
In mid-July, Doug Armstrong signed forward Robert Thomas to an eight year, $8 million per year deal, locking up the Blues’ top assist man for the foreseeable future.
Today, Armstrong signed Thomas’ young counterpart, Jordan Kyrou, to the exact same deal.
Per Blues, Kyrou extension is identical to Thomas: 8 years, $65 million ($8.125 AAV). #stlblues
— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) September 13, 2022
Kyrou finished last season with 27 goals and 48 assists, good for fourth on the team in points and third in goals behind Vladimir Tarasenko and Pavel Buchnevich. Kyrou was also the Blues’ rep at the All-Star Game, winning the fastest skater competition and blowing the doors off of everyone else there.
After the All-Star Game, Kyrou’s production slumped. Regardless of second-half output, Armstrong likes what he sees, and very clearly believes that Kyrou and Thomas are the new, young core of the team.
Kyrou’s contract carries him through the 2030-2031 season; starting in 2025-2026 a NTC kicks in, changing to a modified NTC in the final year of his deal. The deal marks a sizable raise for Kyrou of nearly $5.4 million per, so this contract is much more than a sign of confidence from the Blues – it’s a sign of expectations.
Kyrou, for his part, seems comfortable with the weight of said expectations on his shoulders:
“I’m so thankful to the Blues organization for putting their trust in me and giving me the opportunity to wear the Blue Note for the foreseeable future,” Kyrou told stlouisblues.com. “Being able to call St. Louis my home is amazing. I can’t say enough about how much I love the city. And to the best fans in the League, I can’t thank you enough for always showing me love and support.”
Doug Armstrong has a habit of signing long-term deals after a player has a contract year, so he’s banking on both Thomas and Kyrou to continue to produce at the same level as last season.
Needless to say, decisions at the end of this season regarding the Blues’ pending UFAs Ryan O’Reilly, Vladimir Tarasenko, Ivan Barbashev, and Niko Mikkola just got a little tougher.