Caps Sign Dylan Strome

After bringing four new players into the organization and re-signing another on Wednesday in the first day of the NHL's annual free agency shopping season, Caps general manager Brian MacLellan kept at it on day two. The Caps have signed center Dylan Strome to a one-year contract for $3.5 million.

The 25-year-old Strome - a native of Mississauga, Ont. - was originally a first-round choice of the Arizona Coyotes in the 2015 NHL Draft, going to the Yotes with the third overall pick in that draft, hearing his name called after former junior teammate Connor McDavid went to Edmonton at No. 1 and Jack Eichel went to Buffalo at No. 2.
After fewer than 50 games with the Coyotes, Arizona shipped him to Chicago along with forward Brendan Perlini in exchange for Nick Schmaltz. The swap was made early in the 2018-19 season, and Strome settled in and found a level of consistency with the Hawks since, averaging roughly 20 goals and 30 assists per 82 games over his time in Chicago.
This past season with the Hawks, Strome scored a career high 22 goals and totaled 48 points in 69 games, all while averaging 17:26 in ice time per night, the highest figure of his six seasons in the circuit. He also won 52.3 percent of his face-offs with Chicago last season. The Blackhawks are in the midst of starting a massive rebuild, and they opted not to tender a qualifying offer (which would have been $3.6 million) to Strome, suddenly making him an unrestricted free agent at the age of 25.
So a day after signing goaltenders Darcy Kuemper and Charlie Lindgren, signing defenseman Erik Gustafsson, re-signing veteran forward Marcus Johansson and sending a second-round pick to Ottawa for winger Connor Brown, the Caps' offseason makeover continues with the addition of Strome.
Strome is the younger brother of Ryan Strome, who signed a five-year deal to move from the New York Rangers to Anaheim on Wednesday in the first day of free agency. Where Dylan Strome fits in the Caps' plans and on Washington's depth chart remains to be seen, but MacLellan has added a talented player on a "show me" one-year deal at more than reasonable money; Strome's last deal carried a cap hit of just under $3.4 million annually on a three-year pact that concluded with the 2021-22 season.
Over the last several seasons, Washington's pro scouts have done excellent work in bringing players to the District on reasonable contracts, giving them a taste of the atmosphere and the culture here, and then signing them for longer term deals. Players such as T.J. Oshie, Lars Eller, Brett Connolly, Michal Kempny, Devante Smith-Pelly, Carl Hagelin, Nick Jensen, Brenden Dillon, Nic Dowd, Conor Sheary and Matt Irwin all fall into this category of players who came to D.C. either via the trade or free agency route, then opted to stay when the time came to sign their next contract. Step one of that process has been achieved with the signing of Strome on Thursday. By most accounts, Strome was one of the best remaining players on the market after the day one feeding frenzy.
Just prior to announcing the Strome signing, the Caps officially announced a pair of signings that were revealed on Wednesday from various media sources. Defenseman Matt Irwin signed a two-way deal to return for a second season with the Capitals, a contract that will pay him $750,000 at the NHL level and $450,000 at the AHL level. A depth defenseman with the perfect disposition and personality for the role, the popular 34-year-old skated in 17 games for the Caps last season.
Additionally, the Caps announced they've signed forward Henrik Borgstrom, a former first-round pick (23rd overall in the 2016 NHL Draft) of the Florida Panthers. Like Strome, Borgstrom did not receive a qualifying offer from Chicago, becoming a free agent. The 24-year-old native of Finland signed a two-way deal for one year, a pact that will pay him $750,000 at the NHL level and $400,000 in the AHL.
In 110 career NHL games with Florida and Chicago, Borgstrom has notched 26 points (13 goals, 13 assists).