Ryan Strome agreed to a two-year, $9 million contract with the New York Rangers on Thursday. It has an average annual value of $4.5 million.
The 27-year-old forward was a restricted free agent who had a salary arbitration hearing scheduled Thursday. The Rangers announced the contract Friday.
"Very happy to back for 2 more years! No place I'd rather play than in front of our great fans at MSG," Strome said in a tweet.
Strome scored 18 goals in 70 games for the Rangers last season and had NHL career highs in assists (41) and points (59). He had two assists in three games when New York was swept by the Carolina Hurricanes in the best-of-5 Stanley Cup Qualifiers.
Selected by the New York Islanders in the first round (No. 5) of the 2011 NHL Draft, Strome has scored 254 points (95 goals, 159 assists) in 491 games with the Rangers, Edmonton Oilers and Islanders, and 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in 18 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
The Rangers had three other players who filed for arbitration. Defenseman Tony DeAngelo (Oct. 15) and goalie Alexandar Georgiev (Oct. 15) each agreed to a contract prior to his scheduled hearing. Forward Brendan Lemieux agreed to a two-year, $3.1 million contract ($1.55 million AAV) before his scheduled hearing Friday.
