Ryan Strome heading for a 2 year bridge deal

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It is safe to say that Ryan Strome has exceeded all expectations since the Rangers took a chance on the former Islanders 1st rounder, 5th overall in 2011. During his time with the Islanders, Strome played in 258 games, amassing 126 total points before being dealt to Edmonton for Jordan Eberle back in 2017. In his short tenure with the Oilers, Strome garnered a total of just 36 points in 100 games, moving up and down the lineup.

Strome Finds a Home

Ryan Strome has 59 points in 66 games this season. He has found a home and some chemistry with the Rangers superstar forward, Artemi Panarin. But so far in 129 career games as a Blueshirt he has 92 points (36 goals and 56 assists). When it comes to his importance to this team, it is not just these stats. The Rangers don’t have a lot of NHL ready centers able to take on the responsibility of 2nd line duties. Filip Chytil is a prime example of that, and the Rangers are still flirting with him on the wing so it is a fluid situation.

When it comes to his next contract, the Rangers would be hard pressed to give him a deal in the 5 year range off of one solid full season. The Rangers will have to pay Tony DeAngelo and others with undetermined cap space until the cap ceiling is settled. That’s why this will be the summer of the bridge deals.

Building the Bridge

At the age of 26, Ryan Strome is set to become a free agent with arbitration rights. This summer you can fully expect to see him file for salary arbitration as the Rangers will pose a number much lower than he is expecting. The big difference for a player with arbitration rights is that the team doesn’t hold all the cards in negotiations. Unlike what happened with Tony DeAngelo where he was forced to take it or leave this past offseason, thar is not the case for Strome or even DeAngelo this time around.

Strome is coming off a deal that comes with a 3.1M AAV. When it comes to numbers the Rangers are likely to offer a deal around 4M while Strome’s side will seek close to 6M. The two sides will likely fall on a 2 year deal at around $5M AAV and never face an arbitrator. Of course, there is always that risk and the Rangers could face an award they would walk away from. Unlikely, but possible. Just remember, Ryan Strome was acquired for Ryan Spooner so I doubt this would turn into a Nik Zherdev situation.

By Anthony Scultore

Anthony Scultore has been covering the New York Rangers and the NHL since 2014. His work also appears at... More about Anthony Scultore

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