Kyrou haters

[Harry York 37]

callitwhatyouwant made a good point about Kyrou "disappearing" for long stretches, then going on a roll.

Initially, I agreed with that and ran some numbers. Not sure I agree with my original position, based on that. He seemingly is no different from the top 10 scorers regarding "consistency."

Draisitl 28 games with no goals; 51 in 42
Nylander, 42 games with no goals; 42 in 32
Thompson, 36 games with no goals; 39 in 32
Connor, 45 games with no goals; 38 in 30
Guentzel, 44 games with no goals; 38 in 29
Ovie, 27 games with no goals, 38 in 31
Point, 37 games with no goals, 38 in 32
Pastrnak, 45 games with no goals, 37 in 30
Reinhart, 44 games with no goals, 36 in 30
Schieffele, 47 games with no goals, 36 in 28

Kyrou, 49 games with no goals, 32 in 27

Goals are only one measure of production, and sometimes the "eye test" is a better evaluator.

At least he never reached Brandon Saad levels of lazily deciding when to REALLY show up.

[KarmaFTMFW]

Maybe DA did try and deal him or at least make him available and no one wanted him? Sometimes things just have a way of working their way out, but I have a hard time believing that Kyrou is still around because DA had 100 percent confidence in him and knew he'd be where he is today.

Perhaps. None of us will ever know for sure, but I have just as hard a time believing Army would give him 8x8 just to turn around and want to move him.

Agreed that we’ll never know, but let’s not act like DA is above handing out bad contracts. I was not a Kyrou fan early on, but I’m willing to admit if he keeps up, I was dead wrong.

[netboy65]

Maybe DA did try and deal him or at least make him available and no one wanted him? Sometimes things just have a way of working their way out, but I have a hard time believing that Kyrou is still around because DA had 100 percent confidence in him and knew he'd be where he is today.

Perhaps. None of us will ever know for sure, but I have just as hard a time believing Army would give him 8x8 just to turn around and want to move him.

Agreed that we’ll never know, but let’s not act like DA is above handing out bad contracts. I was not a Kyrou fan early on, but I’m willing to admit if he keeps up, I was dead wrong.

Sure, Krug and the nixed deal to Philly comes to mind.
All I meant was I’m sure he has a longer leash with Army than he has with Blues Talk

[zamadoo]

Thank goodness DA didn't listen to you guys, and you KNOW who you are. 63 pts in 76 games with a +22.

Kyrou deserved every single boo he got and more.

He was the “anti-team” player for a long time. If you couldn’t see that… you were not watching.
I don’t give a (bleep) how much skill you have, if you play completely disinterested defense, you are a poison to a team .

Bannister tried being nice to him, but even he got fed up and benched his entitled (donkey) for a period. That took guts, because the SC Winning coach who last disciplined him was fired. They broke up him and Thomas and forced a solid NHL Wing to play Center just for him out of desperation. I will always be grateful to Buchnevich for that, andI will say for the tenth time I don’t know how he kept from throttling him.

The bottom line is… Kyrou grew up and thank the hockey gods that he did.
I used to say that I hated him, but jeebus, he can score two goals on any given shift.

There are few players who have done such a remarkable job of learning to play the 200 foot game for the sake of the team than him, in recent memory.

By the time Monty came along, Kyrou was making good progress, you could see it in fits and starts by the end of last season, and I have no doubt that watching a similarly blessed talent near his own age (Holloway), who played the right goddanged way… was a lovely challenge.Thise two are almost mirrors of each other these days and it is sooooo beautiful.


He has grown up and that is one of the one of the best stories I have had the pleasure to watch unfold in a good long while.

To make the journey from a cancer to a man who takes pride in playing the whole game the right way is pretty epic.
I admire him for it.

It’s almost as if not everyone matures at the same time or something

And it is a shame that his extended adolescence was such an awful stain on the history of this franchise.
There are few as awful.

That is why his journey is so epic,
.
He is a helluva teammate these days.

Awful stain on the history of the franchise? Overdramatize much? 3rd straight 30 goal season only Tarasenko and Hull have done that in franchise history. Because he back checks more people are happy. Ok.

He was bordering Brad Boyes territory before this season. (that is the worst stain of my lifetime)

It's far beyond back checking (which at first he did nearly zero of but was the first thing he figured out he needed to do to not be a one-dimensional over-paid player on a losing team). I mean just a simple dump in or just using his speed to drive the puck deeper into the zone was completely lost on him.

As someone else mentioned, it is a night-and-day difference. A reason so many were so angry was because he was around in 2019 to see what it takes, and then he was playing with those same players and under Chief but took this long to figure out he needed to learn and grow as he has. We were angry when he wouldn't buy into that under Chief and was a part of him being fired (and I give Thomas flak for that as well).

It wasn't until this season that he looked like a more complete player, and not until Holloway-Schenn-Kyrou was assembled that it has really clicked for him. No doubt Holloway has rubbed off on him, and it seems Monty has found a way to get all these guys playing for and with each other.

I've been pointing these things out for a while, and like Harry said, no holding grudges. We're all happy that he has figured it out in his 7th pro season, months before his 27th birthday, and months before his Full-NTC kicks in.

[Plagers4Ever]

Didn't want him gone, but he definitely didn't earn his money last year .....

I agree with this!!!

I was very disappointed last season in his lower degree of all zones effort and his failure to progress at expected rate. I always believed he had the talent to be very successful, but was short on effort and development.
He certainly has taken that great leap forward. All props to him!!!!

[Jabski]

Yeah, glad that the little whistle dick is playing better.
To me, the years of him floating around , soft as butter, AVOIDING hits with a passion while his teammates played hard,( you know, how hockey players do it) just doesn’t sit well with me. At all.
He’s just having fun with his new little buddy. Where was this type of play BEFORE Holloway arrived?
Yea, I’m holding on to the grudge.
Hope I’m wrong, but he’ll be back to his old floater ways soon enough. Sell high….

[TheJackBurton]

Didn't want him gone, but he definitely didn't earn his money last year .....

I agree with this!!!

I was very disappointed last season in his lower degree of all zones effort and his failure to progress at expected rate. I always believed he had the talent to be very successful, but was short on effort and development.
He certainly has taken that great leap forward. All props to him!!!!

He absolutely has, and that is a major reason why we are doing what we are doing.

[dhsux]

Didn't want him gone, but he definitely didn't earn his money last year .....

I agree with this!!!

I was very disappointed last season in his lower degree of all zones effort and his failure to progress at expected rate. I always believed he had the talent to be very successful, but was short on effort and development.
He certainly has taken that great leap forward. All props to him!!!!

I guess I saw a different player.

He went from a -38 year prior to a -12 last season, scoring 30 plus goals doing it both years. Even here and now it's like it's only been this year that has brought change to his game when in fact it was the year prior. He has always been judged differently than the other players, that's a fact.

I see/saw his faults, I always supported him though for his strength on teams that needed points, plays and goals. No one gave him that contract to remain static...the Blues knew that had a goal scorer and in first year of his contract he turned the corner to be a more complete player.

Might well be a maturity issue....might be he and Chief were a disaster for each other, I don't know. I know Oshie had maturity issues, as did Perron here early on.

Hopefully we can all look back and say similar good things about JK over the long run.

And btw, no matter what he does, it will never be enough for a lot of posters here, imo.

[TheJackBurton]

Didn't want him gone, but he definitely didn't earn his money last year .....

I agree with this!!!

I was very disappointed last season in his lower degree of all zones effort and his failure to progress at expected rate. I always believed he had the talent to be very successful, but was short on effort and development.
He certainly has taken that great leap forward. All props to him!!!!

I guess I saw a different player.

He went from a -38 year prior to a -12 last season, scoring 30 plus goals doing it both years. Even here and now it's like it's only been this year that has brought change to his game when in fact it was the year prior. He has always been judged differently than the other players, that's a fact.

I see/saw his faults, I always supported him though for his strength on teams that needed points, plays and goals. No one gave him that contract to remain static...the Blues knew that had a goal scorer and in first year of his contract he turned the corner to be a more complete player.

Might well be a maturity issue....might be he and Chief were a disaster for each other, I don't know. I know Oshie had maturity issues, as did Perron here early on.

Hopefully we can all look back and say similar good things about JK over the long run.

And btw, no matter what he does, it will never be enough for a lot of posters here, imo.

I have never called into his question his ability (not saying you said that I did)

However, I would even say his -38 season he was more consistent than last year.

Last year he floated, and he floated a lot. He had his moments where he would look all world, then disappear for 5-7 games.

Now he has been far more consistent and really I can count the number of bad games for him (at least what I consider a bad game) on one hand.

[dhsux]

Didn't want him gone, but he definitely didn't earn his money last year .....

I agree with this!!!

I was very disappointed last season in his lower degree of all zones effort and his failure to progress at expected rate. I always believed he had the talent to be very successful, but was short on effort and development.
He certainly has taken that great leap forward. All props to him!!!!

I guess I saw a different player.

He went from a -38 year prior to a -12 last season, scoring 30 plus goals doing it both years. Even here and now it's like it's only been this year that has brought change to his game when in fact it was the year prior. He has always been judged differently than the other players, that's a fact.

I see/saw his faults, I always supported him though for his strength on teams that needed points, plays and goals. No one gave him that contract to remain static...the Blues knew that had a goal scorer and in first year of his contract he turned the corner to be a more complete player.

Might well be a maturity issue....might be he and Chief were a disaster for each other, I don't know. I know Oshie had maturity issues, as did Perron here early on.

Hopefully we can all look back and say similar good things about JK over the long run.

And btw, no matter what he does, it will never be enough for a lot of posters here, imo.

I have never called into his question his ability (not saying you said that I did)

However, I would even say his -38 season he was more consistent than last year.

Last year he floated, and he floated a lot. He had his moments where he would look all world, then disappear for 5-7 games.

Now he has been far more consistent and really I can count the number of bad games for him (at least what I consider a bad game) on one hand.

Eye is in the beholder Jack, I'll disagree with you on that 26 point turnaround last year.

He clearly began his change then in my view.

And for the record, I do think he had/possibly still has maturity issues.....processing, relating, understanding.

[Lets_Clinch]

Thank goodness DA didn't listen to you guys, and you KNOW who you are. 63 pts in 76 games with a +22.

Kyrou deserved every single boo he got and more.

He was the “anti-team” player for a long time. If you couldn’t see that… you were not watching.
I don’t give a (bleep) how much skill you have, if you play completely disinterested defense, you are a poison to a team .

Bannister tried being nice to him, but even he got fed up and benched his entitled (donkey) for a period. That took guts, because the SC Winning coach who last disciplined him was fired. They broke up him and Thomas and forced a solid NHL Wing to play Center just for him out of desperation. I will always be grateful to Buchnevich for that, andI will say for the tenth time I don’t know how he kept from throttling him.

The bottom line is… Kyrou grew up and thank the hockey gods that he did.
I used to say that I hated him, but jeebus, he can score two goals on any given shift.

There are few players who have done such a remarkable job of learning to play the 200 foot game for the sake of the team than him, in recent memory.

By the time Monty came along, Kyrou was making good progress, you could see it in fits and starts by the end of last season, and I have no doubt that watching a similarly blessed talent near his own age (Holloway), who played the right goddanged way… was a lovely challenge.Thise two are almost mirrors of each other these days and it is sooooo beautiful.


He has grown up and that is one of the one of the best stories I have had the pleasure to watch unfold in a good long while.

To make the journey from a cancer to a man who takes pride in playing the whole game the right way is pretty epic.
I admire him for it.

It’s almost as if not everyone matures at the same time or something

And it is a shame that his extended adolescence was such an awful stain on the history of this franchise.
There are few as awful.

That is why his journey is so epic,
.
He is a helluva teammate these days.

Awful stain on the history of the franchise? Overdramatize much? 3rd straight 30 goal season only Tarasenko and Hull have done that in franchise history. Because he back checks more people are happy. Ok.

He was bordering Brad Boyes territory before this season. (that is the worst stain of my lifetime)

It's far beyond back checking (which at first he did nearly zero of but was the first thing he figured out he needed to do to not be a one-dimensional over-paid player on a losing team). I mean just a simple dump in or just using his speed to drive the puck deeper into the zone was completely lost on him.

As someone else mentioned, it is a night-and-day difference. A reason so many were so angry was because he was around in 2019 to see what it takes, and then he was playing with those same players and under Chief but took this long to figure out he needed to learn and grow as he has. We were angry when he wouldn't buy into that under Chief and was a part of him being fired (and I give Thomas flak for that as well).

It wasn't until this season that he looked like a more complete player, and not until Holloway-Schenn-Kyrou was assembled that it has really clicked for him. No doubt Holloway has rubbed off on him, and it seems Monty has found a way to get all these guys playing for and with each other.

I've been pointing these things out for a while, and like Harry said, no holding grudges. We're all happy that he has figured it out in his 7th pro season, months before his 27th birthday, and months before his Full-NTC kicks in.

+1 zam. I think Dylan Holloway has rubbed off on a lot of players. His game is very complete and he has comparable speed. If Kyrou can even come close to Holloway in effort, then the Organization will be very fortunate. The Hat Trick of fleecings took place this year in the NHL by Army: the 2 players(#6 and #81) signed to offer sheets and the trade that acquired #17. This and career years from several players and of course the signing of our New Head Coach has forwarded the Organization's rebuild by a couple seasons anyway. I have enjoyed this team very much. I felt they had a run in them that would leave them just short of the playoffs. I would have never been able to predict this. After watching all of the prospect games, I was very optimistic about the future-now, I am just giddy and can't wait for the next game. I don't care if we get swept in the first round(I don't think it is gonna happen), but I still wouldn't be sad. I have had too much fun watching them to get greedy. Everything above a serious playoff push has become icing on the big cake.

[Lets_Clinch]

Didn't want him gone, but he definitely didn't earn his money last year .....

I agree with this!!!

I was very disappointed last season in his lower degree of all zones effort and his failure to progress at expected rate. I always believed he had the talent to be very successful, but was short on effort and development.
He certainly has taken that great leap forward. All props to him!!!!

I wonder if question in his effort caused him to slip to the 2nd round. I will admit that I have only avidly started watching all of the draft the last 3 years. It is by far my favorite draft now. They do a fabulous job with it in my opinion or maybe it is just because hockey has just moved head and shoulders above every other sport for me.

[zamadoo]

+1 zam. I think Dylan Holloway has rubbed off on a lot of players. His game is very complete and he has comparable speed. If Kyrou can even come close to Holloway in effort, then the Organization will be very fortunate. The Hat Trick of fleecings took place this year in the NHL by Army: the 2 players(#6 and #81) signed to offer sheets and the trade that acquired #17. This and career years from several players and of course the signing of our New Head Coach has forwarded the Organization's rebuild by a couple seasons anyway. I have enjoyed this team very much. I felt they had a run in them that would leave them just short of the playoffs. I would have never been able to predict this. After watching all of the prospect games, I was very optimistic about the future-now, I am just giddy and can't wait for the next game. I don't care if we get swept in the first round(I don't think it is gonna happen), but I still wouldn't be sad. I have had too much fun watching them to get greedy. Everything above a serious playoff push has become icing on the big cake.

I'm with you on all of this. We could barely miss the playoffs at this point and I'd still be quite satisfied. Seems more like we'll not only make it, but maybe even do some damage. If we get Parayko back and this team is still firing on all cylinders, there's no telling what they'll be able to accomplish. Instead of looking forward to the team 3-5 years from now like we were in the offseason, we're looking forward to the next 5 years under Monty starting now.

[Bluesfan1978]

Holloway is definitely rubbing off on Kyrou. You could see their bond last night when the team won. Also have heard Kyrou talk about working out a couple times now which Holloway is known for his off ice commitment. Otter also said that he noticed them hanging out in the gym as well. I don't recall other years hearing much about Kyrou spending time on the ice after practice like I have this year.
Jake was also known for his on ice and off ice training. He doesn't quite have Holloway's skill and speed but no doubt these guys are pushing each other.
Throw in that Bolduc seems to be playing the right way and with a bit of an edge himself its a good environment to expose projects to.
Fowler besides his skills sounds like he had a lasting impact on former teammates and no doubt is good for the team and players like Parayko.
The addiction of Suter and his 1500 plus games I'm sure he is vocal and passing on his experience to his teammates. You don't play 1000 -1500 games without being committed on and off the ice to being professional.
Broberg was said to be one of the most dedicated Oilers with his off ice training. This was mentioned by Elkholm. Parayko and Binner and Schenn are also known for their off ice commitment to improving.
this type of culture will make you an outsider pretty quick if your not on the same path.
Lastly back to Holloway he is just a great example of what you want in an NHL player.
Kyrou has been more involved physically this year than any other year that I know off. He also seems more committed to the off ice training as far as working out than maybe other years. Hopefully that continues.
By all accounts Dvorksy has this same commitment to practicing.
Now the team has the proof of what playing the right way and practicing the right way can result in.
There's no team that wants to play the Blues in the 1st round this year.

[JoshInFenton]

I wondered if we could ever be good with him for sure. A top 6 guy, arguably a top line guy, who was very much a 1 dimensional threat, and was a minus player when on the ice despite scoring 30 goals a season, specifically in 2022-2023. While not expecting him to be a 2 way player, i was expecting him to be a capable first man in on the forecheck, and by forecheck i wanted him with his speed to close down a defensemen and force some turnovers every once in a while, or make breakouts a lot more complicated. I wanted him not to get blown by when on the ice for the same amount of time as the opposing forward, who was willing themselves past him like he was standing still. And to be quite honest, he sounded like he thought he was bigger than the team when he reacted to Berube's firing as he did. At that point, it was his 4th full season in the NHL, i felt like he was more or less a Patrick Laine type that had the talent to impact games but maybe not the desire to put the teams performance higher up on the list.

The change in his play happened near the tail end of last season, he made some moves to finally start pressuring the puck, and when he did that he got more scoring chances or his line benefited from it, and suddenly his +/- was no longer trending towards -25 and actually recovered to a -12. And now this year if you even exclude the hit he has definitely been more impactful off the puck. When he makes mistakes, you can see him actively trying to make sure it doesn't result in a goal as often as possible. Is he perfect at it? nope. Not expecting him to be. I'm just happy he has finally had that lightbulb go off that if he contributes more off the puck, he'll get more chances on the puck a lot of the time.

Still get a knot in my stomach when we have the goalie pulled and he gets the puck and doesn't shoot quickly though

[britishblue]

Kyrou post Monty has been a different player.

Its not his goals and assists, its his general play.

Even when he has had hot streaks in the past, his game still had the issues everybody has beaten to death around here.

If it has finally clicked, and we should all hope it has, he becomes a cornerstone player moving forward (which is what we signed him to be).

There is no way the Kyrou of 6 months ago makes that OT hit against Detroit. He likely wouldnt have even been in that spot to begin with, let alone actually make the play.