Uh….ok. I’m going to try and shift the conversation slightly. With all the angst about Strome the past few days, I’ve been trying to figure out where/if he fits in with club longer term.
He’s been real solid this year, definitely one of the best forwards, and best center. However, his skillset and style is so similar to Nick’s, it’s almost uncanny. So, what happens if Nick sustains his comeback and plays out his contract? What will Strome’s qualifying offer be, and will it be worth it (with all the FA needs) given the $ wrapped up in 19 and 92? It’s frustrating because neither 19 nor 92 (at present) is a real contender level 1C - but Strome isn’t really either IMO. Moreover, collectively the three guys are either too slow (19, 17), and/or suck defensively (92, 17). If Nick returns to form, maybe he can be the 200 ft guy to offset Strome/Kuzy.
Then the next consideration is the logjam of potential centers in the pipeline - Protas, CMM, Lappy - competing for 3C next year (or maybe Protas goes to 4C, and Dowd moves to 3C). All cheaper. Do we really want to block those options to run Kuzy-Nick-Strome-Dowd? Again, not sure I like the mix of skillsets of those top 3 centers. Maybe it’s worth it to just keep Strome around for Nick’s eventual retirement after 24-25? (or sooner pending health). It’s also generally not a good move to let a top 6 center just walk.
As a temporary replacement for Backstrom, one almost couldn’t imagine a better fit than Strome - he’s like a younger, less polished clone. The move by GMBM was a great hedge against Nick’s health. If Nick can’t resume his career, locking up Strome is a no-brainer. However, if Nick is able to resume his career, I think a temporary hedge may be all Strome is to the organization.
What do all you smart hockey folks think of the situation?
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