An imaginary conversation over a beer with Ryan Strome

The New York Rangers have won six games in a row.  They are near the top of the Metropolitan Division and appear to be on their way to making the playoffs for the first time since 2017.  Staying on course however will be a challenge as the future of one of their top players remains in limbo.

Imagine sitting in a Midtown Manhattan bar after a Rangers game, say Mustang Harry’s or something like that, and one of your favorite N.Y. Rangers players just happens to walk in.

Let’s say you have the opportunity to buy this player a beer and just sit down to have a normal conversation about the NHL, the Rangers and the player himself.

Let’s say that player is Ryan Strome.  What would you say?

The road to the Rangers

Ryan Strome has become an integral part of the New York Rangers.  He is centering the team’s top scoring line, he plays on the first power play unit and leads the team in game winning goals.  He is also in the last year of a two-year deal that pays him $5 million this season with a team cap hit that comes in at $4.5 million.

Strome is 28 years old.  He was drafted number five overall by the NY Islanders in 2011.

After spending four years with the Islanders, where he peaked in his sophomore season, scoring 17 goals and 33 assists in 81 games, he was dealt to the Edmonton Oilers for Jordan Eberle in 2017.  After two lost seasons in the Great White North, the Rangers traded for Strome, sending Ryan Spooner to the Oilers in what has turned out to be one of Jeff Gorton’s best deals.

Spooner has been toiling in the KHL in Russia for three years while Eberle went on to have four solid seasons with the Fishsticks but was left unprotected and is now having a pretty good year with the expansion Seattle Kraken at a cap hit of $5.5 million.

With all that a background, the Rangers and Strome will soon find themselves at a crossroads.

The Rangers are on a roll…..a big roll…..and Strome is playing a major part in the success the team is enjoying right now.  He scored the only goal in the 1-0 win over the San Jose Sharks and scored the first goal of the game against the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday. He’s gotten at least a point in 11 of his last 12 games.

He and Artemi Panarin are certainly one of the top tandems in the NHL right now. They are playing so well together that it is extremely hard to imagine this Ranger team without them on the same line.

But that is exactly what fans are facing as the season moves forward and heads toward the trade deadline in the spring.  If the Rangers and Strome don’t work out some sort of deal, he very well could be headed out the door to another Cup contender.

As horrible as this scenario is for Ranger fans, it is the reality of a flat cap NHL.

So, if you are a Ranger fan and Ryan Strome walks into your gin joint, what do you say to him?

It’s Not a Hard Sell

“Hey Stromer, what in the world…..dude, let me buy your beer.  I can tell you are not an IPA guy, something Canadian of course….Molson right, gotta be a Molson, not that Blue Light garbage.

Man the team is looking really good right now, you guys are really rolling.  You think the team can keep it up, you think the playoffs are gonna happen? We could really use a playoff series at the Garden.  I mean, have you noticed how alive the Garden crowd is this year…..just imagine what a playoff series would be like….it would be awesome.  You guys are there, right there, just keep it up.

Wait, what?  You HOPE you are here for it?  Why wouldn’t you be?  You think you are going to be moved at the trade deadline….you think there is that chance….why would you ever let it get to that?  Why would you let that happen?

Yeah, I know it’s a business, but it doesn’t have to be ALL about business does it?  What about opportunity, what about legacy, what about TEAM?  And the team likes you, hey, they made you one of the captains and they love having you talk to the press after games.

I mean look at what you have here.  You are playing with an elite NHL talent. You and Panarin; you are the butter to his bread right now, you want to take the chance that your NHL career will be just as good if you are moved to another team?  No way dude, you will be toast.  No pun intended.

Look, you are a solid player, you have grown your game over the years for sure, but you also happen to have the benefit of an elite line assignment.  You have to take that into consideration when thinking about what you want and where you want to be.  Don’t you?

You are playing hockey in New York City, for an iconic original six franchise, why screw that up, especially when you have no control over where you could wind up.

I mean, Minnesota could use you for sure, and you get to hang with Zuuuuuc, but it’s Minnesota.

Ok, ok, it could be your last chance to sign a deal for really good money, understandable, you want to capitalize on your success.  But at what cost?  Sometimes signing with a team is more than just the money. Look at the perfection line in Beantown. Quite possibly the best line in the NHL and not one of those guys tops out at $7 Mil.  Brad Marchand makes $6.1 million…..that’s hilarious!

You MAY get another team to give you…what, $6.5 million over three years?  Maybe get close to a $20 million deal in total.  You have already made about $25 million during your NHL career, is it really only about money at this point?

Why not just tell Chris Drury you will take $5 million over four years. Not saying that Drury immediately takes you up on that, but it certainly get the conversation started and shows a willingness to make something work. I mean Filip Chytil is looking pretty, pretty good these days, offering Drury a viable financial option could keep you in your coveted spot. Don’t forget, you’ve been known to take some stupid offensive zone penalties.

It’s the same money in the end but you get to play with Panarin for rest of his contract.  You get to play with one of the best players in the league for four more years with a chance to win the freaking Stanley Cup in New York.

Do you have any idea what that is worth?

You think I’m the last guy to buy you a beer in this city if that happens?”