The Philadelphia Flyers have made the first trade of the NHL season, acquiring prospect Christian Kyrou from the Dallas Stars in exchange for Samu Tuomaala.
Kyrou has not done much this season, having spent the entire year with the Stars' AHL affiliate, Texas Stars. He has eight shots on goal in four games, but has yet to record a point. The Flyers have announced that Kyrou will be joining the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
This is a good move for the Flyers. It gives the organization a young defenseman that they can develop and be a central piece of the next core. If he's able to produce for the Phantoms, he could find himself in the NHL before the end of the season. But how could Kyrou fit the Flyers roster?
How Christian Kyrou fits in the Flyers organization
If the name Kyrou sounds familiar, it's because he's the younger brother of Jordan Kyrou, the Blues right winger. Although they play different positions, Christian inherited his brother's offensive skill set. He has been described as a skilled offensive defenseman with excellent passing ability and a good point shot. This has led him to become the quarterback of the Stars' power play.
This offensive prowess has translated to the professional game. Although Kyrou is off to a slow start this season, he has found success at the AHL level. In 97 career games, he has recorded 12 goals and 26 assists for 38 points. This means he has averaged four goals and nine assists for 13 points in 32 games played per season over his AHL career. These are pretty decent numbers for a player who has not yet played a full season.
Coming into this season, the blue line was a big concern for the Flyers. They brought in some interesting pieces during the offseason, but no one they could count on for the long term. It was a bunch of inexperienced and unproven players. The fears have come to fruition this season, as they have allowed 13 goals and 2.30 Goals Against per 60 Minutes. The metrics are not much better, as according to Money Puck, they have xGoals Against of 1.675 and a xGoals per 60 Minutes of 2.41.
If Kyrou can get going offensively and show solid defensive play, he could get a call-up. Another thing working in Kyrou's favor is his experience with Jamie Drysdale. The two played together in the OHL during the 2019-20 season. If the Flyers were to call up Kyrou, they could pair him with Drysdale. Playing with some familiar faces will make the transition to the NHL easier and be a big help in his development.
Although this trade may seem minor at first glance, it could have a major impact on the Flyers. We could look back on it as one of the most underrated moves of Daniel Briere tenure.