Dylan Strome looking to build on his game with big role in Washington originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Dylan Strome wasn’t expecting free agency to happen as soon as it did.
The 25-year-old center found out less than a week before NHL free agency opened on July 8 that the Chicago Blackhawks would not be tendering him a qualifying offer, and he had to quickly turn his attention to unrestricted free agency.
Then last Friday, Strome was on a golf course when he heard the Capitals’ offer of one year and $3.5 million. He took it and, in the process, gave a much-needed jolt to Washington’s top six.
“I’m very excited and very fortunate that a team like Washington reached out and I couldn’t be happier to get started,” Strome said on a conference call with media members Tuesday morning.
Strome scored 22 goals and had 26 assists in 69 games last season for the Blackhawks, but with Chicago in full teardown mode it elected not to keep the third overall selection in the 2015 NHL Draft. The Capitals, by want of their moves this summer, still consider themselves a Stanley Cup contender even if its been four consecutive first-round series losses since winning the title in 2018.
“They obviously have the championship pedigree, I think,” Strome said. “I haven’t played in the playoffs in the NHL — I’m not sure if we count the bubble as playoffs — but got to play a few games there. Obviously there was no crowd so it wasn’t the same. Just everything about their team, the way they play, their style of game, I think it fits into my game really good, and obviously some great wingers to play with as well.”
Should Strome play his natural position up the middle, he would fill the void left by the injured Nicklas Backstrom (hip resurfacing surgery), likely in the top six, and give the Capitals a scoring punch.
It doesn’t hurt that Strome won 52.3% of his faceoffs last season, either. Just one of the regular centers, Nic Dowd, had a percentage above that.
“I think over the last couple of years, I feel like I’ve turned into a little bit more reliable than maybe I was at the beginning of my career defensively,” Strome said. “I was put into some situations last year where I’d take some faceoffs in the defensive zone at key times in games and my faceoff numbers got better last year and (I’m) looking to improve on that this year.”
And considering he’s joining a new team, he has a better feel for Washington’s dressing room…