The Case for Ryan Strome

[bobbop]

Much of the conversation on the Boards is how the Rangers need to upgrade the second line center position. The working supposition is that Mika Zibanajad in the prohibitive number one center now and in the future and while that could always change but let’s assume Mike continues here or is replaced with an equal/comparable player.

I’d like to pose the question; don’t the Rangers already have a very competent number two center under contract at a very reasonable rate?

In 2019-20, Ryan Strome had a breakout year scoring 21-48-69 (prorated for 82 games) and +21 (not prorated) He still had some warts in his game starting with 48 PIM (not prorated) that included many unnecessary offensive zone penalties. Yes he was stapled to the Bread Man and that certainly helped his production but Panarin also had the best season of his career paired with Strome.

This year Strome has been even better. He’s currently scoring at a rate (prorated for 82 games) of 27-51-78 which would place him among the best second line centers in the league. He has improved his discipline with fewer bad penalties -- 14 PIM (not prorated) and he is a +5 to this point. More importantly he did this without Panarin for 10 games and being moved up and down in the lineup to help buttress the offense while Mika struggled. On top of everything else, he appears to have emerged as one of the team leaders during some difficult times.

It is not uncommon for players to struggle at a younger age and break out when they are in their mid 20’s. That’s exactly what appears to be happing here.

Like everyone else, I would love to have a Malkin/Crosby combination in the middle but given the salary cap constraints, the money invested on the wings and the flat cap, aren’t we looking past what is actually a pretty good situation up the middle?

The Rangers real problems right now are a very young third line that can’t score, a defensive fourth line that isn’t very good and a third defensive pair that’s on the clock to be replaced next year. I’d prefer that we focus on fixing those problems by developing the young players and by adding 1-2 veterans next year and take heart that we already have a pretty good 1-2 punch up the middle.

Click to read more...

 

[FireGerardGallant]

I think hes actually been really good this year. However, I'm not sure how much I trust him down the line. Would't be too upset to sell high

 

[Fitzy]

Any extension for me is contingent upon this continued level of performance through the TDL of next season.

Im open to the idea, but a lot of things would have to go exactly right. His cost and movement clause requests would have to be reasonable, etc etc.

One bonus is his flexibility positionally. Say NYR end up extending zibby and then another good center falls into their laps- you can play Strome at RW and cycle him in if/when there is an injury.

The biggest question I have regarding Strome as a 2c moving forward though is about whether his game translates well to postseason hockey, one of the reasons our last good roster never got over the hump is that our star player in Rick Nash was terrible in the playoffs

 

[Calad]

Sell High. Having a really good year, I'd rather the team go in a different direction.

 

[Machinehead]

Strome is fine right now. I think the longer-term concerns are valid.

Both Strome and Zibanejad are expiring after next season. I struggle to find the money for both, although things can change. Strome is a pretty one-dimensional player and paying guys for their career highs in points almost always tends to be a bad move. Also to that point, if we lost Zibanejad because of money or injury, and replaced him with a traditional 1C in the market, we'd be in matchup hell. Most 1C's aren't good defensively and Strome is far from the traditional #2 who will take defensive usage.

I don't think it's necessarily about an upgrade as much as it is getting somebody who fits our finances better or is more versatile in the event that Zibanejad isn't an option long-term.

 

[Machinehead]

Any extension for me is contingent upon this continued level of performance through the TDL of next season.

Im open to the idea, but a lot of things would have to go exactly right. His cost and movement clause requests would have to be reasonable, etc etc.

One bonus is his flexibility positionally. Say NYR end up extending zibby and then another good center falls into their laps- you can play Strome at RW and cycle him in if/when there is an injury.

The biggest question I have regarding Strome as a 2c moving forward though is about whether his game translates well to postseason hockey, one of the reasons our last good roster never got over the hump is that our star player in Rick Nash was terrible in the playoffs

The funny thing about Nash is that if you could create a perfect profile for success in the playoffs, it would be him. Size, strength, volume shooter, 200 foot player, elite scorer at even strength, scored most of his goals right in front of the net despite the Perimeter Rick meme.

I agree Strome doesn't seem like a playoff guy but I guess you never know.

 

[aufheben]

I honestly don’t know what the right decision is here. He’s been really good.

 

[Fitzy]

I agree Strome doesn't seem like a playoff guy but I guess you never know.

Brassard certainly didn't either, so its def not an exact science.

Add that to the list of reasons why it's unfortunate that we won't get postseason experience this year

 

[UAGoalieGuy]

I think if Strome continues this play for the rest of this season and well into next, I think he would have proven it's not a fluke.

At that point I think the Rangers should resign him. Then the question becomes do you extend Zbad or look for another 1C option like Barkov or Eichel.

 

[Sayba]

Strome has been pretty good, no denying it. I just fear a Kyle Turris situation. 6x36 at his age 28 season, Strome will be 28 next season.

If we are going to keep him, it has to be another short term deal or I would be out.

 

[Calad]

Rangers have appx 31m in cap space this coming off season, DeAngelo buyout increases that to ~35m. 51m in space the year following, which doesn't include any contracts signed this coming offseason.

Extension due this year:
Buchnevich
Chytil
Lindgren
Shesterkin

Extension due in 2022:
Zibanejad
Fox
Kakko
Georgiev

I excluded players like Gauthier, Howden, Hajek who haven't shown they would get anything more than league minimum or close to. Kravtsov also due an extension in 2022 but who knows what that will look like as he hasn't even played an NHL game.

My guesses at extension numbers
Buchnevich (5.5-6m at ~5 years)
Chytil (2.5-3m bridge)
Lindgren (4.5-5m for ~4 years)
Shesterkin (something like Vasilevsky 2nd contract, 3.5m x 3 years)

Zibanejad (8-10m at 7 years)
Fox ( 8x8)
Kakko (no clue, depends on how he produces next year. could be a bridge at like 2m, or maybe they sign him long term like 6x6 or something)
Georgiev (2.75, which would be his QO)

So a conservative estimate is 17m for 2021, and somewhere between 23-28m for 2022. So thats roughtly 40-45m in cap space spoken for between the next two years. That doesn't even account for UFA acquisitions. If the Rangers chase someone like Barkov in 2022 (likely getting around 10m) then some of these players need to be dealt to make space for him. Then following that season the cap only opens up a few more million and Laf & K'Andre are due a raise.

Long story short, signing Strome to a long term contact would be a huge mistake.

 

[Blueshirts777]

Strome has been pretty good, no denying it. I just fear a Kyle Turris situation. 6x36 at his age 28 season, Strome will be 28 next season.

If we are going to keep him, it has to be another short term deal or I would be out.

Kyle Turris issues were injuries, it wasn't like he was some flash in the pan

 

[will1066]

Strome has been pretty good, no denying it. I just fear a Kyle Turris situation. 6x36 at his age 28 season, Strome will be 28 next season.

If we are going to keep him, it has to be another short term deal or I would be out.

He'd be out too, because he and definitely his agent will be looking for his big career-making contract at 28, entering his prime years.

 

[NoQuitInNewMexico]

This is a clown question but would he take a friendlier deal (less years) if we bring his brother Dylan over from Chicago? We can make this roster even weirder

 

[cwede]

Strome has been good, but i wont miss him when he goes,
I'd be glad for NYR to get what a contender should offer, especially with a little retention included
i don't think long-term he is worth where his numbers might slot him at

btw i am the guy who said, going into '19-20, Strome could wear the C, and keep it off Zib's chest
(Kreids was pending UFA, Trouba and Panarin brand-new then)
(i meant it, Quinn liked him, and the C held back McD's continued growth)

Very hot and cold at the dot,
Very hot and cold along the wall,
Takes O-zone penalties (but yes a lot fewer this year than last)
Yes he has been very productive in NYR colors, and restored his standing in the league
Will always be grateful for how easy he helped make Bread's transition
Chytil is not as smart or 'savvy' yet, but is a better skater, shooter and passer

 

[duhmetreE]

The problem is similar in some degrees to Trouba. His next contract will be based on him being a PP1 point producer. With the young talent we have, it would be a weird choice to pay him for something he will no longer do. He's been a good player for us but I dont think he helps mitigate any roster weaknesses; or make sense for what he would cost.

He's been 'ok' on defense.

Long story short, If it's assumed we're re-signing Zibs, I think there's better options for our middle6. I've said it a lot, but I believe a Cirielli-type of player is what we need.

I'd be shopping him this TDL, trying to entice a cup favorite.

 

[Kodiak]

Strome is a difficult call because he has improved substantially this year, but I don't think we can afford to keep him in a cap world. Strome has to know that this is his one chance at a big contract, so we would need to make a big offer to keep him from testing the market. I'm hoping Chytil starts to push him out and makes the decision and transition easier.

I will say this for Strome: he plays very well with Panarin and that has some value. We like to think it's easy to play with that kind of talent, but as we saw when we were trying to find players that meshed with Jagr, that is not always the case.

 

[will1066]

Chytil seems a ways off from being able to do what Strome can, unfortunately. It seems he has regressed a little after showing a lot of promise and evidence of being on the brink of a breakout.

 

[haveandare]

He’s a tough case. He’s definitely been better this year - scored a lot without bread and hasn’t been the defensive liability he was.

Having said that, does anybody honestly think that if he didn’t come back next year, we wouldn’t have gotten his absolute peak? I don’t think he’s going to fall of a cliff or anything, but I really doubt he has more room to improve

 

[haohmaru]

I’d like to pose the question; don’t the Rangers already have a very competent number two center under contract at a very reasonable rate?

Short answer: Yes and Yes - and the guy has delivered exactly what you would expect from a 2nd line center and has played over 150 games for the franchise so, at this point, it's not a fluke.

Some of the Strome and Buchnevich conversations drive me nuts - Strome is delivering exactly what you would expect from a 2C and Buchnevich is finally exceeding expectations - why on earth would you trade a guy that you've spent years developing and is exceeding whatever you thought his ceiling might be to see him flourish someplace else?

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

After being a total bum the first 10 or so games, he's turned it on big time

 

[Oscar Lindberg]

Simple answer, sell high

this guy would be a problem contract waiting to happen. You sign him to anything more than what he’s already making and a year in they’ll be looking for ways to dump him

guaranteed

Chytil can be the 2C, you just have to give him an opportunity for more than a game

 

[DanielBrassard]

It's a really tough call. Never thought that would be the case with Strome but it is. He's a really good offensive player, and he's shown that with and without Panarin over the last 2 years. The defense is below average, and the age at which he would be re-signed at is a bit of a concern as well if it would take a long-term deal to keep him. This decision is made all the more difficult because of the lack of organizational depth at the position. I would like to keep him, but with the flat cap and the money doled out to Kreider and Trouba specifically I think there might be no choice but to trade him or even let him walk in UFA and hopefully find someone who can fill in at the 2C spot who can play with Panarin and doesn't cost as much. Maybe that's Chytil although I'm a bit skeptical at this point.

 

[NYRFANMANI]

The contract he's on is great value atm. For us or another team.

I would favor some GM Grotans magic, getting a Brassard-Zib kinda deal.

Is that realistic?

 

[WojtekWolski86]

Wonder what happens to his numbers when he is no longer on PP1 duty? His spot is better served by Laf, Chytil or Kaako in the future.

Strome has def fixed some of the gripes most people have with him, but I feel like he is still vulnerable to the physical/board game in his own end and effort wise he still creeps into bad habits and starts floating back.

Could we pull a Brass/Ziba type trade where we trade NOW production for potential with a bubble team? I think we could afford to lose 10-15 points production at 2C for someone with higher defensive and faceoff upside. Chytil should develop into better production that offsets that point differential.

We have a lot of finesse players, guys like Buch and Strome with future inflated contracts might get dealt for more jam.