From Alexeyev to Wilson, we’re taking a look at and grading the 2023-24 season for every player who laced ‘em up for the Washington Capitals for a significant number of games during the campaign, with an eye towards 2024-25. Next up, Dylan Strome.
The Bio:
#17 | Center | Shoots: Left
Height: 6’3” | Weight: 200 | Born: March 7, 1997
Birthplace: Mississauga, Ontario | Acquired: Signed as a free agent, July 14, 2022
Cap Hit: $5,000,000 | Signed Through: 2027-28 | Expiry Status: Unrestricted Free Agent
The Scouting Report (via CapFriendly):
Report: November 2023 | Rating: 81 | Projection: Second Line
- Strome has proven to be a reliable point producer since arriving in Washington.
- Deployed in a top six role. Borders on being the Caps top center.
- Averages around 18:00 TOI. Used at ES and PP#1
- Capable skater. Not exceptionally fast. Not slow.
- Lacks a physical element for his stature, but uses his long reach and frame to shield pucks in the offensive zone and interrupt flow in the defensive zone
- Pounces on opportunities in high dangers areas. Takes advantage of his chances.
- Solid in the face-off circle. Wins around 55% of his draws.
The Stats:
The Charts:
The Key Stat: When Strome and Alex Ovechkin were on the ice at the same time last season, the duo combined for an xGF% of 52.57 at five on five… a stat that dropped to 36.36% for the captain when he was on the ice without Strome.
The Good: Since arriving in DC two years ago, Dylan Strome has been better than expected in almost every way, proving to be a bargain on his initial deal and, so far, worth every penny of the new five-year contract he signed last February. He finished the season with a career-high 27 goals and 67 points (including six goals and 22 points on the power play, and five game-winners, also career highs). He led the team in scoring and registered his third-straight 20+ goal season, and was a consistent driver of the team’s offense. Strome’s CF% Rel (6.48), xGF% Rel (9.03), and HDCF% Rel (9.07) all led the Caps, and he was in the top 20-25 among all NHLers in those categories, as well.
Once the postseason rolled around, no one was really clicking for the Caps, so the bar for a “good” performance in the team’s brief playoff appearance was pretty low – but Strome basically met it, with a goal and an assist in the four games.
The Bad: There wasn’t a whole lot of “bad” to be found in Strome’s 2023-24 regular season, or really even in the playoffs, although it did take him a bit of time to adjust and he was one of many of the team’s offensive weapons to fall mostly silent in the series. It’s possible that was a product of this being his first real postseason appearance, and he still finished tied for second-most points (with a whopping two) but the team maybe could have used more from #17 in their opening-round series against the Rangers.
The Video: Strome was the author of many clutch goals this season, but this OT winner over Detroit was hugely important in the team’s eventual push for the playoffs.
The Discussion: Has Strome done enough to earn the team’s top-line center role? What do you see his ceiling being as a goal-scorer? Strome is becoming relatively reliable defensively, as well – should the coaching staff give him a shot on the penalty kill? And finally, what would it take for you to give Strome a 10 next season?
The Vote: Rate Dylan Strome below on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the best) based on his performance relative to his potential and your expectations for the season – so if he had the best year you could have imagined him having, give him a 10; if he more or less played as you expected he would, give him a 5 or a 6; if he had the worst year you could have imagined him having, give him a 1.