Blues Bench Kyrou — But the Message May Be for Someone Else

Frustrations in St. Louis appear to have reached a boiling point. On Thursday night, the Blues are making the surprising decision to healthy scratch forward Jordan Kyrou for their matchup against the Buffalo Sabres. As expected, the news has drawn attention.

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Interestingly, through 14 games, Kyrou hasn’t been so terrible that making him a healthy scratch seemed like the obvious move. He’s tallied four goals and eight points while ranking fourth among Blues forwards in ice time (17:23). So too, his underlying metrics are strong. Clearly, with an -8 rating and visible frustration in recent games, he’s not been perfect, but there’s no doubt this is a polarizing decision.

When asked, head coach Jim Montgomery said, “Many players could have been scratched after last night’s game, and ultimately I decided on this group tonight.”

It shouldn’t be ignored that making Kyrou a scratch might not just be about the forward. Kyrou’s individual play could be better, but it feels like the Blues are sending a message to a team that’s stumbled to a 4-8-2 record. They rank 24th in scoring at just 2.71 goals per game.

The hope might be that this move jolts the team and Kyrou and his teammates respond.

Will This Lead to Kyrou Trade Rumors?

Kyrou, in the third year of an eight-year, $65 million contract, was linked to trade rumours last summer before his no-trade clause took effect. A healthy scratch shouldn’t be taken as an indication the player is going to want out or the team is looking to make a change. At the same time, fans and analysts will inevitably bring up the idea that this could the start of some interesting discussions.

There’s no indication a move is coming, but it appears there is tension between the team’s high-paid core and the coaching staff.

For a player who’s topped 30 goals three straight years, being benched amid a team-wide 2-6-2 slump might say more about how the Blues are feeling about the overall effort level of the team than of any one player.

Next: Kings Receiving Trade Interest in Brandt Clarke, Have Different Plan