It’s often sad when the Capitals draft a player, develop him, are patient with him, then trade him away. But enough about Scott Stevens. Today, the Caps acquired three-time 30-goal scorer Jordan Kyrou, and paid heavily, giving up Connor McMichael, Milton Gastrin and Washington’s first-round pick (16th overall) in the 2026 NHL Draft.
The sad part is that the Caps had high expectations of McMichael, who was drafted 25th overall, but didn’t turn into the star center the Caps were hoping for (nor has Hendrix Lapierre so far, but he certainly wouldn’t have been worth as much on the trade market).
The cool part is that the Caps are now getting Kyrou, a player who has proven he can get 70+ points, though at 27 he is two years older than McMichael. Let’s also remember that the Caps didn’t get T.J. Oshie until he was 28, and that turned out fine.
One curious thing about the trade is that Kyrou’s 2025-26 season wasn’t his best, as he only scored 18 goals – half the number he scored in his previous season, so perhaps the Caps think that a change of scenery might give him a boost. The same can be said about McMichael, who only had 14 goals last season, after scoring 26 the previous season.
Despite also trading its 16th pick, Washington still owns the 18th overall pick in this year’s NHL Draft. Gastrin was picked in the second round, 37th overall.
Anyway, best of luck to McMichael, and it’ll be fun to see what Kyrou brings to the team.
