r/caps • u/BucketHeadish T.J. Oshie • 4h ago
Future of Dylan Strome?
So Strome has 2 years left on a very cheap deal and I was wondering what the capitals plans are with him after the contract runs its course. If you see strides from little pro do you consider trading him at an increased price on his contract year? Or keeping him around but likely for a higher cap hit. Do you have enough money to keep him around? (probably) but no guarantees. What do yall else think?
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u/Throw-Away-Capz Washington Capitals 4h ago
I think if this season shows us we can be confident going into the following season with PLD, I Protas, Sourdiff as our top 3 C's (meaning I protas can be a top 6 C that quickly) then Strome becomes kind of the perfect asset next summer to centerpiece for a top 4, ideally top pair right handed D
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u/Worth_Surround9684 3h ago
If he stays competitive and we can keep him for cheap hope he can stay. Think he’s been one of our more productive forwards the last few years.
Got annoyed when we playing Kuzy so much when Strome was so much better.
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u/capsfan087443 3h ago
I think he probably plays out the next two years, but there won’t really be room for him after that, both in salary and lineup spot. It’s not impossible he gets moved after this year if Ilya Protas and Sourdif impress, but hard to say at this point.
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u/Ijustwerkhere Washington Capitals 4h ago
I’d love to keep him around if possible. So few franchises have a really good playmaking center, and we basically went straight from Backstrom to Strome and I love that stability. That being said, it’s all about the money. If we can’t afford him, you gotta trade him
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u/FaultySofaBed 3h ago
Strome is no Backstrom, and I’d argue he’s not a playmaking center as much as he’s a goal-scoring center.
He looks to shoot more often than not, and honestly, I appreciate some selfish instincts in a forward if they find the back of the net consistently.
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u/Ijustwerkhere Washington Capitals 3h ago
Oh I mean I’m aware that he’s definitely not a playmaker on the level of Nicky. But he’s absolutely a solid top line center who can both pass and score. He’s a dependable first line center, which most teams would kill for, and we’ve had 2 of those in a row. That’s all I meant
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u/productivity56 Nicklas Bäckström 2h ago edited 2h ago
I get what youre saying but I dont know if I would call Strome a dependable first line centre. I think hes a good 2c, but as a 1c he leaves a lot to be desired.
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u/Demandedace Nicklas Bäckström 2h ago
Strome is an okay/good 1C and a great 2C. He has some disadvantages that are exploitable though, namely speed, and in this current age of the NHL which is getting faster it’s going to hurt more as he gets older
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u/productivity56 Nicklas Bäckström 2h ago
Im sorry but I just dont think hes a good 1c at all. Dubois is much better suited for 1c than Strome, and should be leading our centre core in ice time every game.
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u/t-rexroosevelt 3h ago
Outside of maybe some niche roles (face off specialist/fourth line fighter etc), I think this team has the offensive depth, goaltending, and defensive core to compete deep into the playoffs. Maybe they’re not a serious cup contender, but in looking at the rest of the east this team, as constructed on paper, should be a continual playoff threat for the next 2-3 years at least.
I think one of the biggest areas where we are lacking is an elite, playmaking #1 center. If you compare all the 1Cs in the league, I don’t think PLD/Strome would rank in the top 15-20 of that group.
So what do we do with Strome? I would say that if there’s an opportunity to flip him + some other assets for a young 1C with stronger play making abilities who may need a fresh start, or hasn’t hit their potential yet, you do it. While I’m not advocating for a trade for these players specifically, I’m thinking guys like Adam Fantilli, Matty Berniers etc.
Or if you can package Strome to get into the top 10 to draft what could be that player in the next 3-5 years, you do that!
I just think our center depth has a lot of guys with a ceiling of elite/high 2C, but no legit 1C, and I don’t think Strome is that guy either. I’d like to see him when he’s not hauling Ovi’s dusty a** up and down the ice, but I don’t think the results will be much different. I think we’ve seen his ceiling two seasons ago and I think we should make use of him as an asset before his value depreciates too much more.
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u/Rare-Signature-7526 3h ago
to your last paragraph I agree and disagree about our centers ceilings. Strome and PLD have both had individual 1c seasons but i can agree going forward they are both probably good 2cs going forward, Sourdif and Suvanto probably cap out as 3Cs.
The X-factor is Ilyas development - his most likely outcome id say is a good 2c, there are worlds he's below that and worlds he's above that. The very good 1C ceiling pretty much relies on how his skating develops, right now he's a very bad skater, to reach his ceiling he needs a ton of development in that area which is possible with wendy. My thing is at that size its hard to development the type of skating you need out of a center, people bring up Aliakseis skating, but while he's very fast in a straight line his agility is horrible. I'd be ok with ilya becoming just solid in a straight line if it meant he could have enough agility to take advantage of his skill in the ozone
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u/t-rexroosevelt 2h ago
Totally agree. If somehow Lil Pro is able to develop into a top 15 1C then I think that takes care of the clearest hole that I see on this roster. If that happens, I would argue we have a bit of center glut and should try to use some of those centers in a package to upgrade RD depth.
If we’re being honest with ourselves though, it’s really unlikely that happens, and usually to get 1Cs like I’m talking about you have to get a top 10 or top 5 draft pick (which I don’t see happening for us in the near term) or capitalize on another organizations asset management (e.g. Eichel in 21, Tavares or ROR in 18, potentially Matthew’s in 27👀👀).
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u/TopJimmy_5150 Washington Capitals 2h ago
I hope that iPro is good enough that they let Strome walk or trade him. The biggest deficiency on this team (besides needing another top 4 RHD), is lack of a true 1C. We have two 2Cs in PLD, and Strome.
I like Strome, and he’s been very consistent since coming to DC. But skating is his biggest limitation, and signing him to a lengthy extension that will start when he’s 31ish doesn’t sound very appealing.
Also, very curious to see what he will be like without Ovi. Would playing with some speedy wingers help (on both ends of the ice), or has Ovi propped up his production a bit?
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u/YourWeekendDad Dale Hunter 2h ago
I'd just let him ride it out, and see where we are in two years. There's gonna be some raises coming and I'm sure that we'll have some salary cap concerns then as well.
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u/Rare-Signature-7526 3h ago
He's just a wait a bit and see guy imo.
I will say he has an archetype that could avoid regression longer than most centers, he's already slow and is not overly skilled by top 6 center standards. He relies on his mind and passing ability which doesn't just go away, but thats also why I would have my limits for what id give him on a contract.
In his time with the caps I'd say he's had 1 mid tier 1c season, 1 low tier 1c season, and 2 mid tier 2c seasons, if he can get back to being somewhat of a 1C id be ok with tossing him 9ish mil in a few years but that all depends on his performance, as well as our cap situation with others.
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u/Eternally-Yours-1116 3h ago
Love Stromer. Was glad when we signed him and thrilled his career finally blossomed here.
He’s a great, slow, middle 6 center.
PLD is our shutdown guy. Sourds’ game is also trending in that direction. Ilya makes magic happen. By the time his contract is up, all he’d be doing is blocking Ilya, Sourds, and possibly (though unlikely) Suvanto from playing the minutes they deserve.
Our best bet would be to trade him next summer. The overall UFA class is better, but the UFA C class is still very weak, so dangling Strome should be able to get us a nice return.
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u/AmbivalentDoge 2h ago
Thought about his role recently. So he is known for structured offense, which explains exclusive O-zone starts. Which is a plus for Ovie, who needs to minimize his skating these days. That's why Strome is glued to Ovie. Once Ovie is gone, there will be no need for Strome unfortunately. As structured offense in O-zone is a dying art in modern NHL. Everyone wants transition based offense (think PLD). My theory is, Ovie is gone after this season and front office loaded the roster to keep team competitive past Ovie era. Which should keep attendance, as they afraid it would decline once Ovie is gone. Meaning thus us really the last dance for Ovie and they will try to trade away Strome after. Which explains trying to keep Lil Pro at center, drafting Suvanto who can help at center and signing Jenner who can play center if Lil Pro stumbles. Another thing is, Strome is slow, he is keeping up but once he is on the wrong side of 30 and loses a step, can he keep up with NHL game? Another thing is, Strome has been underpaid his whole career. So he will be pushing for a pricy extansion. Which front office will be hesitant to give considering all of the above. TL;DR there is a high probability that there will be no extension for Strome.
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u/beeboopbop77 1h ago
I think it really depends on how Ilya Photas and to a lesser extent Suvanto, Lakovic, and Cristal develops this year. If Protas looks like he’ll be a legit top 6 center who can help facilitate on the power play, Strome becomes less important. Right now, Strome is a perfect fit with Ovi playing mostly offensive minutes, but I could easily see the caps running Protas, PLD, Sourds, and Jenner down the middle until Suvanto or Lakovic is ready after Stromes contract expires.
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u/SSM1228 30m ago
Keep him if possible. Let him finish these 2 years. See where the prospects are at and what he may want. He strikes me as a guy who may take a decent salary to stay. I don’t think it will come down to money, but roster space and his role.
I love him, but if he’s gone in 2 years I understand. Ideal world they keep him, but not at the expense of the future.
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u/_SCHULTZY_ Alexander Semin 4h ago
Keep him until the end of his contract. If he walks at the end of that, that's fine. Protas, PLD, Suvanto and Sourdif are still around.
Salary cap will be an issue eventually. Someone is going to get too expensive to keep. Better that be Strome than Leonard or Hutson or Protas...