The Washington Capitals made a smart move signing this player
By Jim Lynch
The Washington Capitals went out of their way this offseason to sign Dylan Strome this offseason to a one-year deal worth 3.5 million dollars. Strome is only 25 years old and will be 26 when this contract expires.
The Washington Capitals made the right move by signing Dylan Strome.
The former third overall pick from the 2015 NHL Draft has not found a consistent home in the NHL just yet. While he has played in over 250 NHL teams, the Coyotes were quick to trade him in 2018 to the Blackhawks and the Hawks did not re-sign him this offseason to a contract.
Strome played in 69 games this past season with the Hawks and during that time he put up 22 goals and registered 48 points during that time.
His success came when he was on a line with stars like Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane and while it is unlikely that he plays with guys like Alex Ovechkin in Washington, having that option definitely has to be nice if someone gets injured and a lineup shakeup needs to take place.
Strome makes perfect sense for the Washington Capitals. They are trying to stay competitive as long as Alex Ovechkin is in the NHL and they are doing their best to get him to the scoring title within the next few seasons.
Strome was a free agent this offseason looking for an opportunity to succeed. The Hawks were not able to trade him at the deadline which might say something about his value, but at the same time being able to sign Strome without giving up anything despite a bit of cap space has to be a major plus for a team. This is a former third overall pick who a few seasons ago put up 51 points in 58 games his first year in Chicago.
Strome is a very up and down player, at least he has been in the past. He would have a stretch of good games followed by a stretch of games where the puck just did not connect right in Chicago, now in a new city with a new team maybe that changes.
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The reason this is such a good move for the Capitals comes down to this: they are not costing much with this gamble of a signing. If things work out and Strome plays well, the team just found a top-six center they can hold onto for years to come. If things do not work out, they can still try to trade him at the deadline or let him walk in free agency as it wasn’t like they gave up anything to get him.
I hope that Strome spends a long time in Washington and that he bounces back to his first year in Chicago numbers. He is still a relatively young player in this league and while the past few years in Chicago have not been great, a new opportunity with a new team definitely can lead to more success!