Ryan Strome has something to prove

For the last year, every time the subject of Ryan Strome came up, it was accompanied by the phrase “of course, he is benefiting from playing with Artemi Panarin.”  Observers point to his 2019-20 campaign for the New York Rangers, when he found a role as center for Panarin and he ended up having a career year.

Much of the credit for his 18 goal, 59 point season was attributed to the “Panarin effect.”   People disregarded the fact that he had scored  a career high 19 goals and had his second highest point total of 35 points the year before Panarin arrived.

With Artemi Panarin out on a leave of absence, Strome has been on his own, usually centering Chris Kreider and a variety of right wingers including  Colin Blackwell and now Kaapo Kakko.  He clearly has something to prove and he is doing it.  The numbers show it.

Strome’s record with Panarin:  

16 games,  5 goals, 4 assists, 9 points, 38 shots, minus 2

Strome’s record without Panarin

6 games, 3 goals, 5 assists, 8 points, 14 shots, plus 5

Sure, it’s only six games, but in those six games he is scoring at a higher rate, has more assists and is taking more shots.

Advanced statistics

In terms of 5v5 possession statistics, when Strome was on the ice with Panarin his possession stat were excellent.  His Corsi For percentage was 51.1% and the Rangers outshot the opposition124 to 106.

Once Panarin was out of the lineup, in the six games, the Rangers’ possession numbers were much worse and Strome’s Corsi For percent was 43.23% with the Rangers taking 39 shots versus 47 for the opposition.

What’s interesting is that there is an increase in the quality of the shots being taken. The Panarin-Strome combination had 42 high danger scoring chances compared to 40 for the opposition, a difference of +2.  However, since Panarin has been out, Strome has been on the ice for 18 high danger scoring chances versus 10 for the opposition, a +8 differential.

So, what does it mean?

Six games is a very small sample size,but it does indicate that Strome is much more than a player riding Panarin’s coattails.   He is scoring more goals and dishing out assists at the rate of almost one a game. From watching Strome play, it had been clear that he often deferred to Panarin, passing up shots to get the puck to his Russian linemate.   The fact that Panarin’s goal scoring is down has hurt Strome’s scoring.  Or it did until he began playing with different linemates.

This is certainly not  a call for Strome to be separated from Panarin when he finally returns to the lineup, but it is an indication that to some degree, Strome is living up the hype of being a top five draft pick and deserving of his $4.5 million contract.

It also presents the Rangers with an interesting problem when it comes time to decide what to do with him for the future.  Right now, Strome is putting up top center numbers and the foregone conclusion that he would be a goner when he hits unrestricted free agent status in 2022 may  no longer be valid.  It may also mean that the Rangers will have to decide if he should be protected in the Seattle expansion draft.

Until two weeks ago, the assumption was that he would be trade deadline bait and his Ranger career had another year to run at the most after this season.

He can still make maddening decisions on ice, but he is clearly a  leader in the locker room, another factor in his favor.  Strome is trying to prove that he deserves to stay and he’s not doing a bad job at it.