Confirmed with Link: Strome re-signs with Caps (5 yrs/$25M)

[PlushMinus]

Strome is a fine player, decent player but he doesnt really heat up my breakfast burrito, let alone put maple syrup on my sausage link

Seems fair as long as he stays healthy, most games played was 69 last year

If that's the kind of stuff you eat for breakfast every day I'd be more concerned about YOUR health

Edit: wait - maple syrup on sausage?!? That doesn't sound very nice!

 

[um]

Thinking Mantha has negative trade value is kind of shortsighted

Cap space is very valuable these days.

Mantha will be 5.7 million guy who will have been jettisoned from 2 teams in a few years. Never mind his disappointing production.

 

[Ridley Simon]

If that's the kind of stuff you eat for breakfast every day I'd be more concerned about YOUR health

Edit: wait - maple syrup on sausage?!? That doesn't sound very nice!

Don’t knock it til you try it. It’s…..inspiring.

 

[Silky mitts]

Eller signed his 5 year deal 5 years ago next week, 2/10/18

 

[ovikovy817]

1.5 raise from his current AAV. Not bad for the Caps.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

Please no

I’m ok with trading one of them for the right player. Timo Meier would be worth it.

 

[hb12xchamps]

You’re wrong…..but we can agree to disagree….


Why not as part of a package for a roster player/upgrade? Futures does nothing to surround Ovechkin with better talent today….

Depends on the cap space I’d guess. They’re going to need cap space if they do indeed plan on re-signing guys like Jensen and Orlov or venture into the free agent market for serviceable defenseman. They don’t have someone in Hershey ready to step up and eat those minutes. Alexeyev and LuJo can’t even beat out Irwin for full time duty at this point.

 

[HTFN]

I mean, Strome literally played on his line last season and put up pretty much the same numbers.

Strome's also been one of the best players this year, so like... I think I get what the overall point is but it's also hard to see how adding another similar scorer would be a bad thing in a blind test like that.

 

[SherVaughn30]

Depends on the cap space I’d guess. They’re going to need cap space if they do indeed plan on re-signing guys like Jensen and Orlov or venture into the free agent market for serviceable defenseman. They don’t have someone in Hershey ready to step up and eat those minutes. Alexeyev and LuJo can’t even beat out Irwin for full time duty at this point.

That is a reflection on Lavi/McCarthy. Irwin is their safety valve because he knows the system. If Boudreau or Nelson was coach(just an example), Irwin wouldn't be on this team and Alexeyev/LuJo would be in competition for the 6/7 spots.

 

[shtorm2005]

Yeah, Strome does play now for 5M, but who knows if he continues that way? Everyone seems to play better in the contract year.

 

[Hivemind]

This is a league where Jesperi Kotkaniemi makes $4.8M AAV and Joel Eriksson-Ek makes $5.2M AAV. Both on RFA deals. If he had reached UFA years, there's Kevin Hayes making $7.1M AAV and Andrew Copp making $5.65M. I'm having a hard time seeing where anyone could think this deal is over payment.

It does raise questions about what their long-term plans at center are. Kuzy, Backstrom, and Dowdhave 2 years remaining on their contracts after this. Eller is (presumably) gone. McMichael and Lapierre are both knocking on the door, and Protas can play center as well. Something has to give.

 

[Jacoby4HOF66]

 

[Langway]

Have to say the term here is a bit surprising given how he became available to them (however nutty). Mainly I question who is going to kill penalties for them going forward. Dowd, sure. Who else among their Cs will? Kuznetsov can a bit but won't be a staple, if he's even still around. Structurally I don't know. The value in this contract also IMO is tied to Strome being on PP1. There definitely need to be other moving parts resolving the mix.

It is of course nice to have an additional top six/PP1 center perhaps as your third option but in terms of slotting I don't think it aligns at the moment. Maybe if they seek to play a more skilled brand it would. Good to have him secured given that his QO/arb. ruling likely would have come in at a higher AAV. Still, the mix does need considerable tweaking when it comes to capable versatility and intensity.

 

[Hivemind]

Have to say the term here is a bit surprising given how he became available to them (however nutty). Mainly I question who is going to kill penalties for them going forward. Dowd, sure. Who else among their Cs will? Kuznetsov can a bit but won't be a staple, if he's even still around. Structurally I don't know. The value in this contract also IMO is tied to Strome being on PP1. There definitely need to be other moving parts resolving the mix.

Start grooming the younger players to PK. The Lavi "only veterans can PK" mindset is rather ridiculous, and has limited their roster construction heavily during his tenure*. There's no reason Protas' collective PK time this season should be less than 5 minutes. With his reach and stride, he can definitely eat up space on the PK, and can even take draws on the PK while playing wing at 5v5. Plus, you and I both know that offensively-oriented centers can also be penalty killers, so they should be grooming McMichael and Lapierre for potential PK duty as well.

I just really hope they don't feel compelled to go out and sign a new Hagelin this off-season.

*This quirk isn't unique to Lavi, admittedly. For instance, Trotz jerked around Nathan Walker, leading him to being waived since he "didn't kill penalties" (despite the fact he was a primary PKer in Hershey at the time, just never given the opportunity in Washington).

 

[Langway]

Malenstyn should also be in the mix, albeit at the expense of more upside overall perhaps. Brown would have been that sort of player. Protas, definitely. This is also an area where Mantha, for similar reasons, could be challenged to apply himself. Take up room, clog the lane, skate a bit harder at times. That sort of thing could roll over into more determined 5v5 play. CMM/Lapierre don't have the grit for it probably and you wonder if at least one won't be shipped out for a forward either more supremely skilled or capably assertive.

With Dowd & Wilson out and Oshie banged up there's a lack of consistent tonesetters up front currently. They desperately need them back for a push to qualify. Strome is fine top six C insurance at least and maybe what allows them to move on from 92 at some point but doesn't really scratch that itch as an altogether building-block type. Useful to have...but we'll see what sort of extra he can summon when the season is on the line.

 

[Portable Mink]

I am taking credit for all of this.
Was begging for us to sign him as a free agent and tweeted at him then 2 hours later he'd signed

You are all most welcome

 

[Hivemind]

Malenstyn should also be in the mix, albeit at the expense of more upside overall perhaps. Brown would have been that sort of player. Protas, definitely. This is also an area where Mantha, for similar reasons, could be challenged to apply himself. Take up room, clog the lane, skate a bit harder at times. That sort of thing could roll over into more determined 5v5 play. CMM/Lapierre don't have the grit for it probably and you wonder if at least one won't be shipped out for a forward either more supremely skilled or capably assertive.

With Dowd & Wilson out and Oshie banged up there's a lack of consistent tonesetters up front currently. They desperately need them back for a push to qualify. Strome is fine top six C insurance at least and maybe what allows them to move on from 92 at some point but doesn't really scratch that itch as an altogether building-block type. Useful to have...but we'll see what sort of extra he can summon when the season is on the line.

I'm not sure Malenstyn is someone who should be getting a jersey on a regular basis. He's a guy who tops out at 4th line energy player, and there's better options for that role in the organization and elsewhere. He's got grit, but probably shouldn't be part of the equation for determining roster decisions.

For this season - definitely agree Mantha should be part of the mix and this would be an area that Brown would have been appreciated (although he does get scored on a lot on the PK, at least he offsets some of it with shorties).

But in the longer term, I absolutely think CMM or Lapierre could become PKers. PKing doesn't take a ton of grit, particularly at the forward end of things. You don't need to scrape out a ton of wins along the boards or bulldoze the crease as a forward on the PK. You need to read-and-react well, take up space, have an active stick, be able to kill time along the half-wall, and clear the puck effectively more than anything else. Those are things that skilled players and smaller guys can do effectively. Sheary is one of our primary PKers now, and while he's got heart and hustle he's not exactly a dominating force along the boards. Mitch Marner kills penalties for Toronto. Kailer Yamomoto does for Edmonton. Jake DeBrusk for Boston. Etc.

 

[DWGie26]

You also have to remember that Cap is going up significantly over the next three years versus flat last three. So this deal will look like Ellers by time it is done. Likely that‘s a great value for top 6 center. And if we have other center talent by trade/FA and he slides to 3C he is still highly valuable at that rate.