After being a healthy scratch the first few games of the season, Dylan Strome got back into the Chicago Blackhawks lineup last night. Head coach Jeremy Colliton said after the game that Strome worked hard, but the young forward still found himself skating lower and lower in the lineup throughout the game. He ended up playing 13:12, ninth among Chicago forwards in another loss. The Blackhawks have not held a lead through any of their first five games and have been outscored 21-9 so far.
It’s easy to see why Strome is the subject of much speculation these days, given his current role on the team and cap hit. The Blackhawks are using $3MM of their precious cap space on a player who has been a healthy scratch for the first several games, not exactly the best use of assets. So a trade seems the most likely outcome, and Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet included his opinion on the latest 32 Thoughts:
I think there is a certain price that they’re looking for. This is a little bit of guessing on my part just based on the conversations I’ve had. I think they’re looking for as high a draft pick as they can get. I’m not talking about a first-rounder, but probably as close to that as they can get. I just don’t think at this point in time anybody’s there.
Strome, 24, would be heading to his third team if he is traded, after originally starting his career with the Arizona Coyotes. Selected third overall in 2015 after Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel (just ahead of Mitch Marner), he has been one of the most inconsistent talents in the league over the last few years. A 20-goal, 57-point player in 2018-19, Strome looked like he would be a core piece in Chicago for a long time. But a 38-point effort followed that, and last season brought just nine goals and 17 points as he basically played himself out of the Blackhawks plans entirely.
Still, with his relative youth and obvious upside, it certainly wouldn’t be surprising to see someone take another shot on Strome. One thing that could make them hesitate though is the fact that his contract is structured in such a way that he will be owed a $3.6MM qualifying offer next offseason, a price some may not want to pay. He’s also eligible for salary arbitration, and does have some interesting point totals that he could present in the hearing. Those factors could make many teams essentially see him as a pending unrestricted free agent, should they not want to qualify him at that level. The trade price in that case wouldn’t be as high, and could even turn some rebuilding clubs off altogether.
Ottawa with that young kid Pinto getting hurt last night could really use a center. A 3rd could do the trick.
.
Ottawa,with Pinto going down,could be a fit. A 3rd would work with that contract.
If that’s all it costs then sure. I’d assume it would cost an awful lot more than that though.
I learned this math question in High School. Spend tons of Wirtz money + Can’t win a game – 5000 plus fans a game = Somebody gots ta go. In fact, A lot of somebodies. Toss in nobody wants to watch this crap on TV which means no sponsors and well…… Algebra 101.
Rangers would but Chicago has to take A goalie off their hands (salary)
Pens or Devils could use help too..only if Hawks eat some salary..
Blackhawks eat salary? They have like 50 bucks in cap room. Better rethink that.
So Strome makes 3 mill , Hawks have 1.8 mill in cap space if they eat half of contract wouldn’t that then give them 3.3 cap room…Hhmmmm unless I miss something rethink that…
The Hawks are trying to DUMP his salary. And Connolly’s. Rethink that.
The Hawks can trade away Strome for a draft pick, retain some of his salary in order to get a better return, and still gain cap space, durrrrr
Ok. Sorry …I’ll rethink that…That’s what the Hawks should do on some of these contracts…rethink before signing…later dude
Hopefully, The Hawks will do what the Bulls did and clean out the Front Office and Crap coaches and hire competent people and turn it around in one year. What they have now is the Gar-Pax- Boylen of the hockey world. Dougie Hamilton would of cost the same salary as Jones with no draft picks so I can only assume that Hamilton wanted no part of the Bowman-Colliton Freak show. Trade Strome for a draft pick and then trade Connolly and the pick to a Cap Floor team, and bang, 6 million in cap space. It’s a no brainer. For most people anyway.
Didn’t like the coach from day 1 and Bowman wouldn’t be there unless Daddy was not an icon…all teams overpay players but unless we are paying the players I sit back and watch stupidness happen..later