Insider Suspects Seattle Kraken Pulled Out of $65M Jordan Kyrou Sweepstakes for One Key Reason
The Jordan Kyrou trade saga has become one of the most intriguing storylines of the 2025 free agency period. The 27-year-old right-winger looked like a perfect fit for Seattle, but the deal never happened. What went wrong?
Why Did the Seattle Kraken Walk Away from Jordan Kyrou?
The most interesting storylines to follow this free agency season has been the trade rumors surrounding Kryou, a St. Louis Blues right-winger. Kryou  brings an impressive resume to the table, having accumulated 332 points (150 goals and 182 assists) over 416 regular-season games.
Kyrou holds an eight-year contract with the Blues worth $65 million with a cap hit of $8.15 million. Despite his production on the ice, the Blues are considering trading him away.
According to NHL Insider Frank Seravalli, the team is serious about moving the winger despite his performance. There are speculations that his large salary could be the reason why. The Blues made the playoffs in 2024-25, and general manager Doug Armstrong could be looking to free up cap space in his pursuit of a more well-rounded roster.
The question is, why did the Seattle Kraken miss the opportunity to bring a player of Kyrouâs potential to the team? Looking at the teamâs roster, it becomes clear that the team could have benefited from the wingerâs star potential. An NHL Insider has weighed in on the issue.
What Did Elliotte Friedman Reveal About Seattleâs Decision?
In the latest episode of the â32 Thoughtsâ podcast, Elliotte Friedman expressed his candid thoughts about the whole episode of the Kraken withdrawing from the list of potential destinations for Kryou.
Initially, a trade between the Blues and the Kraken seemed inevitable.
Elliotte Friedman: I do think Seattle thought about Jordan Kyrou; they ultimately decided not to do it; I donât know this but I suspect that would have cost themâŠthe 2025 8th overall pick â 32 Thoughts Podcast
â NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) July 9, 2025
Armstrong stated that he would be interested in trading Kyrou in return for a center, and of course, the Kraken has a lot to offer in that department. Friedman voiced a similar opinion in a different episode of the same podcast.
âI will say this, one of the teams I wonder about for Kyrou, Seattle,â Friedman said. âAnd I donât know if itâs over because it happened at the draft, but Seattle has a lot of centers.â
So, what happened that this seemingly perfect deal was never executed? Friedman explained that the Kraken ultimately refused to participate in the chase for Kyrou because the team prioritized their eighth overall pick at the 2025 NHL draft, which got them Brantford Bulldogsâ Jake OâBrien.
Friedman speculates that the eighth pick was the cost that the Kraken could have possibly been expected to pay for the Bluesâ right-winger.
âI do think Seattle thought about Jordan Kyrou; they ultimately decided not to do it,â Friedman said. âI donât know this but I suspect that would have cost themâŠthe 2025 8th overall pick.â
Whatever the reason could have been for the Kraken to refrain from pursuing Kyrou, there are other teams, especially the Montreal Canadiens, who have been consistently linked to the star right-winger. Kyrouâs next destination is one of the most exciting plots of the NHL free agency thus far.
