- Connor McMichael filed for salary arbitration Sunday, one of 15 restricted free agents to do so before the deadline
- He does it as a member of the Blues after St. Louis landed him in the Jordan Kyrou trade last month
- Read below for McMichael’s numbers and what his next contract could look like
Connor McMichael is heading to salary arbitration.
The 25-year-old forward was one of 15 restricted free agents who filed before Sunday’s 5 p.m. ET deadline, joining names like Jason Robertson, Trevor Zegras and Cole Perfetti. Hearings will run from late July into early August.
There’s a wrinkle with McMichael. He filed as a member of the St. Louis Blues, not the Washington Capitals.
St. Louis picked him up on June 23 as the main piece of the Jordan Kyrou trade. The Blues sent Kyrou to Washington and got back McMichael, prospect Milton Gastrin and the 16th overall pick in this year’s draft.
McMichael is coming off a two-year bridge deal worth $4.2 million, a $2.1 million cap hit. His final season on that contract was a step back from the one before it.
He put up 14 goals and 46 points in 78 games last year after a career-high 26 goals and 57 points in 2024-25. That gap is exactly what an arbitration hearing sorts out, with McMichael’s side leaning on the breakout and the Blues pointing at the more recent line.
Take a look at what he brings when he gets rolling:
Filing takes McMichael off the offer-sheet board, but it doesn’t slam the door on a deal. He and St. Louis can still agree on a contract before the hearing date arrives.
The Blues have already reshaped their forward group this summer, adding Mason McTavish and spending on the free-agent market. Getting McMichael signed is the next item on Alexander Steen’s list.
