The Washington Capitals got their blockbuster offseason started with a pre-draft trade, acquiring Jordan Kyrou from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Connor McMichael and draft picks.
It was a deal that general manager Chris Patrick was eager to make as he looked to add to the Capitals' top-6 and provide more scoring support, but Kyrou brings much more to the table than that.
Here are three key areas where he'll make a major impact for D.C.
This is perhaps Kyrou's biggest asset. The 28-year-old is one of the fastest players in the league, having ranked in the 86th percentile in max skating speed (23.04 MPH) and the 85th percentile in 20-22 MPH speed bursts (138) last season.
Kyrou has explosive speed and impressive skating ability, helping him get the puck up ice efficiently while he's also able to create odd-man chances and get to the open space and high-danger areas quickly. He's also able to evade his opponents and get the rush started.
Washington has been looking for more speed up front, especially to complement the likes of centers Dylan Strome and Pierre-Luc Dubois, and Kyrou fits the bill perfectly.
It's no secret that the Capitals power play needs another X-Factor, and Kyrou is someone who can help the man advantage start to trend in the right direction.
Over the years, Kyrou logged significant time on the St. Louis power play, and this past season, led a struggling Blues team in goals-for percentage (94.12) on the man advantage.
With his impressive shot and wicked one-timer, along with his hockey IQ and offensive awareness, look to Kyrou to add a new look to the power play and help provide key secondary scoring for Washington.
Though this past year was a bit of a down season, he had four consecutive 67-plus point seasons before 2025-2, and he's eager to get back to that production as he gets a fresh start in the District.
The Capitals left a lot of points on the table when games went beyond regulation last season, and adding Kyrou can be a big help there.
With his speed and shot, and his ability to get open and complement Washington's deep center corps, look to Kyrou to be a game-changer and a player who can turn the tide in OT.
Then, looking at the shootout, Kyrou has a career shootout percentage of 21.7, ranking as the fifth-highest on the current roster behind new addition Alex Tuch (40.6 percent), Dylan Strome (33.3 percent), Alex Ovechkin (28.9 percent) and Pierre-Luc Dubois (28.6 percent).
With Ovechkin not as utilized in the shootout as he was in the past, look for Kyrou to provide coach Spencer Carbery with another option and player to turn to, something the team struggled with last season.
