New York Rangers: Predicting Ryan Strome’s role in 2019-20
Training camp is fast approaching and there will be a plethora of storylines for New York Rangers fans to analyse, dissect and discuss.
It is time to start getting excited because we are now only a couple of weeks away from having some proper hockey to talk about. Although it is only preseason, it will be nice to see the return of our beloved New York Rangers.
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After all, this will arguably be the most exciting preseason at Madison Square Garden in years following the blockbuster off-season that was orchestrated by the front office, spearheaded by General Manager Jeff Gorton and President John Davidson.
Not only will all eyes be on No.2 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, Kaapo Kakko and other high-end prospects in Vitali Kravtsov and Adam Fox throughout training camp and the preseason, but we will also be treated to some star power in Artemi Panarin and Jacob Trouba.
Those additions will add varying degrees of intrigue to training camp, as will the slew of lineup combinations that will need to be formulated and solidified throughout the preseason.
Who will join Mika Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin on the top line? Where will Kaapo Kakko slot in? Will Vitali Kravtsov make the opening night roster? Will Brady Skjei and Jacob Trouba join forces on the top defensive pairing? Is there going to be a surprise inclusion on the opening night roster?
All of those questions will of course be answered in due course but there is one hot talking point in particular that we want to focus on today…
What role will Ryan Strome play in 2019-20?
After being a revelation for the Rangers following his trade from the Edmonton Oilers for Ryan Spooner on November 16, 2018, there has been a flurry of discussion revolving around what lies ahead for the center in 2019-20.
Should he be the second line center? Is his future on the wing? Will he even be a New York Ranger for much longer? We are going to delve into those questions and try to answer them all as best as we can.
What will Ryan Strome’s exact role be in 2019-20?
Firstly, let’s revisit recent history by recapping just how effective Ryan Strome was for the Blueshirts last year following his acquisition from the Edmonton Oilers in November, 2018.
With just two points (one goal, one assist) in 18 games for the Oilers, Strome was stagnating in Canada but a return to The Big Apple acted as a lifeboat for the forward.
Having emerged onto the NHL scene with the New York Islanders with 126 points (45 goals, 81 assists) in 258 games, Strome returned to the tri-state area with a point to prove and a burning desire to resurrect his slumping career.
He certainly made a promising start to that mission after flourishing at Madison Square Garden with the Rangers, finishing 2018-19 with 18 goals and 15 assists for 33 points in 63 games, including seven power play points, two-game winning goals and two Overtime tucks.
Not only that but Strome excelled in the faceoff circle with a winning percentage of 47.16 – tied for third on the Blueshirts among forwards who finished the year in New York – while also putting up solid numbers in other defensive metrics like blocked shots (31), hits (53) and takeaways (27).
It is interesting that the right shot was used both on the wing and as a center in a bottom six role for the vast majority of his time with the Rangers, and the above numbers suggests that not only does he deserve a shot at potentially filling the vacant second line center role, but he could also thrive with added responsibility.
Now, of course, looking at Strome’s body of work throughout his career, you could argue that the 26-year-old likely won’t muster up a repeat of his outstanding average of 0.24 assists per game and his 0.29 goals per game average last year. A regression is likely but, on the flip side of that, he’s just about to hit his prime levels so there could be some untapped potential still to be unlocked.
Another caveat at play here was mentioned by our very own Steve Paulus last week, who put forward an argument as to why Brett Howden could be the Rangers’ answer to their second line center conundrum.
The young forward, who carved out a superb rookie year in 2018-19, flourished in the faceoff circle with a winning percentage of 48.4 percent (second on the team), while he is a playmaking king as illustrated by his average of 0.26 assists per game. That stat alone could make him more suitable for the second line center berth given that he will have some high-end wings either side of him.
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So, if Howden was to win the second line center spot during training camp, what does that mean for Strome? Well, for starters, he could start the year as the team’s third line center and be tasked with providing and driving secondary scoring from the bottom six, while his prowess in the faceoff circle coupled with his ability to be responsible in the defensive zone could make him ideal for such a role.
There is also the possibility that Strome could begin 2019-20 on the wing, a role he’s used to, and he could be used up and down the lineup should the likes of Kaapo Kakko, Vitali Kravtsov and Filip Chytil need some time out of the spotlight and away from the heat of the battle.
Conclusion
Given that we are now on the cusp of training camp, it is fair to suggest that Ryan Strome is set to at least begin the year in the Big Apple as a member of the New York Rangers.
He could of course still be traded based on the fact that the Blueshirts have just $1,010,201 of cap space left and still need to thrash out new deals with forward Brendan Lemieux and defenseman Tony DeAngelo, but this article is based on the premise that he will still be a Ranger come opening night.
Taking everything we’ve covered into consideration, he can continue to be a valuable role player on this roster, especially in 2019-20 as the rebuild enters its final phase.
Although he may endure some regression in his lofty numbers and goal and assists averages from last year, Strome gives head coach David Quinn a versatile option with which to work with and, as already mentioned, he can be slotted in anywhere up and down the lineup on any given night.
He will win faceoffs by the bucket load, he is responsible in his own zone and, if put in the right situation, he will provide secondary scoring and can be an elite scorer when on song.
Strome can also come up clutch in the big moments, as proved by his important game-winning goals against the likes of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Pittsburgh Penguins, coupled with his ability to on hot streaks similar to the one he embarked on in March with 12 points (eight goals, four assists) in 15 games.
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Those types of players are a valuable commodity for any team, especially for the Rangers who will once again have one of the youngest rosters in the NHL in 2019-20.
It seems likely at this point that Strome will at least begin training camp as the franchise’s second line center, forming a potent one-two punch behind Mike Zibanejad. It could well be his job to lose.
He is trusted by Quinn, he has experience on his side and he showed more than enough last year to earn a lengthy shot at auditioning for that second line pivot spot during training camp. That doesn’t mean he will remain there for the duration of 2019-20, but don’t be shocked if that’s the job assigned to him come opening night.
All in all, whether he is the second line pivot for the New York Rangers or lower down the lineup on opening night against the Winnipeg Jets remains to be seen but, one thing is for certain, Ryan Strome has a role to play for this franchise in 2019-20 and he has the ability to make a significant impact no matter what job he is asked to take on.