It seems like only yesterday for some that forward Dylan Strome entered the NHL landscape. He was selected third overall in 2015 by the Arizona Coyotes, in a draft that was mainly hyped up with two superb talents in Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel. The 2015 class continues to prove that there were more than just those two stars though. Mathew Barzal is an offensive force for the New York Islanders and Kirill Kaprizov was a gem found by the Minnesota Wild. Now, almost 10 years later, Strome has found his place among those other names now that he is a Washington Capital.
Slow Transition Process with Arizona
It was a tough beginning for Strome when he first entered the league. He was coming from a prominent role on the Ontario Hockey League’s Erie Otters; alongside McDavid, Alex DeBrincat, Mason Marchment, and Travis Dermott. There were expectations for Strome to make an immediate impact for the Coyotes who were trying to figure out getting better, especially going third overall in the draft. Arizona at the time was one of the worst NHL teams in 2014-15. Longtime face of the organization Shane Doan was coming toward the end of his career, defenseman Keith Yandle had just been traded to the New York Rangers, and the team was trying to build toward a new direction.
When the 2015-16 season began, while McDavid and Eichel started on their opening night NHL rosters, Strome found himself back playing for the Otters. He finally got his NHL call during the 2016-17 campaign, playing in seven games and getting an assist. The rest of 2016-17 was spent in Erie, where he posted 22 goals and 53 assists for 75 points in 35 games.
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After his time in Erie came to an end, Strome went back and forth between the Coyotes and their American Hockey League (AHL) team, the Tucson Roadrunners, during the 2017-18 season. He put up over a point-per-game total with the Roadrunners with 53 points in 50 games (22 goals and 31 assists). On the NHL side, he played in 21 games, netting four goals and five assists for nine points. Then, in 2018-19, despite playing in 20 games for the Coyotes, Strome was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks. The full deal was Strome and forward Brendan Perlini for Nick Schmaltz.
Growing Into His Game in Chicago
Strome’s numbers improved with the Blackhawks and he was given more NHL games to help grow his skills. It helped to have a locker room that included the on-ice talents of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, former Otters teammate DeBrincat, Brandon Saad, and Duncan Keith among others. In his partial campaign with Chicago in 2018-19, he accrued 17 goals and 34 assists for 51 points in 58 games. That was good enough to be ranked fifth on the team in points. Only Kane (110), Toews (81), DeBrincat (76), and defender Erik Gustafsson (60) had more points. Strome then followed that up statistically with a campaign of 38 points in 58 games (the 2019-20 season being shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic). Overall, he posted the following numbers during his time in Chicago:
- 2018-19: 17 goals and 34 assists for 51 points in 58 games
- 2019-20: 12 goals and 26 assists for 38 points in 58 games
- 2020-21: nine goals and eight assists for 17 points in 40 games
- 2021-22: 22 goals and 26 assists for 48 points in 69 games
In July 2022, Strome hit the free agency market, and he was inked to a one-year contract with the Capitals. It was a test in a way to see whether or not it would be a fit for both sides. He had found some success with the Blackhawks, but he needed to find a home where he could play out a good portion of his career. Enter the 2022-23 season.
Becoming a Core Member of the Capitals
Strome, arriving in D.C., put up significant numbers in his first season as a Cap. He accrued what were, at that stage, career highs in goals, assists, and overall points in a season. He posted 23 goals, 42 assists, and 65 points in 81 games. That was good enough to be second on the squad in points. Only Alex Ovechkin (75) had more. Unfortunately for the Caps, they would not make the 2023 postseason. Despite this, one of the positives was that Strome found a solid fit for his game in Washington. Both sides were happy with the results, and as a result, they agreed to a contract extension for five years at $25 million. Now, it was just a question about whether he could consistently chalk up that kind of production.
In this most recent campaign, Strome increased his season career highs in goals with 27 and overall points with 67. That was good for best on the team, two points ahead of Ovechkin’s 65 points. The Capitals as a team struggled during the season, but they would make the playoffs. The bad news was that they had to face the New York Rangers, and would get swept in the series in four games. Strome during that series played in all four contests and got one goal and an assist.
On a team that was disappointing in 2023-24, Strome is a bright spot and a player to look forward to watching come 2024-25. Time will tell whether he can produce even higher career single-season stats than he did in 2023-24. As the franchise eventually transfers into its post-Ovechkin era in the coming years, Strome can be one of the leaders heading into the organization’s next chapter.
