On the latest episode of The Hockey Writers Ice Time podcast, the discussion centered around star players most fans aren’t paying attention to but should be. Who are the players having great seasons but going unnoticed, either because they play in small markets and/or aren’t household names? One of those players is Dylan Strome.
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He’s hitting his stride with the Washington Capitals and has become a star player integral to the team’s success. The Capitals are in first place in the Metropolitan Division and his playmaking is a big factor in that. Strome is a reminder to the league that even the top prospects need time to develop and learn the NHL game. It wasn’t long ago Strome was looked at as a draft bust and while he’s not a generational talent, he’s proven he can still lead a team.
Coyotes Draft Strome
The 2015 NHL Entry Draft is one the greatest in recent memory, at least at the top. Connor McDavid was the Edmonton Oilers’ selection and the top pick has proven to be one of the best things to ever happen to the franchise while Jack Eichel went second to the Buffalo Sabres. Strome went to the then-Arizona Coyotes at third overall while Mitch Marner and Noah Hanifin rounded out the top five (for what it’s worth, Mikko Rantanen was drafted 10th by the Colorado Avalanche).
At first, Strome looked like the one draft bust from that group, especially the first few seasons into his career. The Coyotes saw how the other players selected from that draft were playing at the NHL level and wanted to see the same out of Strome. After spending two seasons with the Erie Otters in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and most of the 2017-18 season with the Tuscon Roadrunners in the American Hockey League (AHL), the Coyotes brought him up to the NHL roster. The problem was that he needed more time to refine his game at the AHL level before doing so.
It’s why his first three seasons in the NHL were underwhelming. He only played 48 games before the Coyotes traded him to the Chicago Blackhawks and waved the white flag on their top-five pick. He only scored seven goals and nine assists in his time in the desert. Strome still had plenty of upside in him at 21 years old but the Coyotes gave up on him.
Blackhawks Have Rough Time Evaluating Strome
There were times when Strome looked like a promising part of the Blackhawks roster. Unfortunately, the problems were twofold with some of the issues out of his control. The first was the COVID-19 pandemic which cut the 2019-20 season short and condensed the 2020-21 season. Strome needed time, notably game action, to develop and he essentially missed two seasons. It’s an issue that slowed down a lot of prospects and some of the Blackhawks young skaters were particularly affected.
The other issue was the Blackhawks and the state of their roster when he was with the team. This organization went through multiple phases in four seasons. They were competitive, then they were retooling, then they made a push to compete with an aging Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews by acquiring Seth Jones, and then they were tearing it all down with the hopes of starting over from scratch.
The fire sale, which started at the 2022 Trade Deadline and spilled into the next season, meant there was no place on the roster for Strome. He was seen as a good — but not great — player and one they couldn’t build around. After four seasons where he scored 60 goals and 94 assists while coming off a season where he scored 22 goals, he was allowed to walk into free agency in the 2022 offseason. It came just as he was hitting his stride.
Strome Finds a Role With The Capitals
It’s worth noting what Strome brings to the offense and why he’s a valuable part of the Capitals’ forward unit. He can score but he’s a passer first and looks to find the open skater on the rush and with quick passes in the offensive zone. It has come in handy for a team that has Alexander Ovechkin, one of the greatest scorers in NHL history. With Evgeny Kuznetsov’s decline and eventual departure in the 2023-24 season, Strome has been the ideal replacement on the top line.
In his first season with the Capitals, he scored 23 goals and 42 assists. The team struggled in 2022-23 and missed the playoffs but Strome’s first impression and career highs showed the front office they have a young forward to build around and it’s why they gave him a five-year extension in the middle of the season. The following season, Strome scored 27 goals and added 40 assists to will the Capitals to the playoffs. He led the team in points and with the offense struggling around him and averaging only 2.63 goals per game, he played a major role in getting them to secure the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot.
This season is his best yet. Strome leads the Capitals in points with 11 goals and 27 assists but more importantly, he’s proven he can carry an offense without Ovechkin around. The team lost one of their best scorers to injury and is still averaging 3.81 goals per game. Strome is a complete player who helps out the offense in multiple ways and is on pace for another career-best season. He’s not a superstar who garners a lot of attention but he’s a star player who is proving he can lead an offence.
Strome Isn’t The Only Late Bloomer
Alexis Lafreniere was the top selection in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft and looked like a bust in his first few seasons at the NHL level. The New York Rangers are finally starting to see his upside as he scored 28 goals and added 29 assists last season while scoring eight goals and adding six assists in the 2024 playoff run.
Sam Reinhart was seen as a bust when the Sabres, who took him second overall in the 2014 draft, couldn’t optimize his potential. In seven seasons with the Sabres, he scored 134 goals. In four seasons with the Florida Panthers, he’s scored 141 goals, including 57 in the 2023-24 season.
The bottom line is that most prospects, even the elite ones, need time to develop. They need a few seasons in the AHL or the team must be patient as they learn the NHL game before they finally hit their stride. It’s too early to give up on a 21-year-old and it’s tpp early to declare a 25-year-old a bust, but that’s what the Coyotes and Blackhawks did.
Kaapo Kakko was traded this week from the Rangers to the Seattle Kraken, a team that is being patient with their star prospects. They are betting that Kakko finds a rhythm in the long run along with Matty Beniers and Shane Wright, the other two notable prospects and top picks in the system.
