Edmonton Oilers Have Flexibility With Ryan Strome

Edmonton Oilers forward Ryan Strome has played four seasons in the NHL but has not hit his stride, nor has he found consistency.

His career year came back in 2014-15, where Strome registered 17 goals and 50 points through 81 games. He was also considered for the Selke, given to the NHL’s best defensive forward. In addition, Strome had 92 hits and was an impressive plus-23.

After that, however, the 24-year-old hit somewhat of a wall. He hasn’t scored over 30 points since then and has been inconsistent on a game-to-game basis. Not to mention, the former Islanders centre has seen a decline in his faceoff percentage and his possession metrics.

With the Oilers, Strome will look to resurge and return to his scoring ways, as well as make an impact and fill the voids they have on their roster.

Edmonton Oilers

Where Strome Fits

First off, Edmonton has a lot of areas on the team where Strome can thrive. If he fits in better at centre, the team has more flexibility in regards to Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. They would be able to keep Draisaitl on the first line and have Nugent-Hopkins remain a top-six centre if Strome slots in down the middle.

In this scenario, the 6-foot-1, 199-pound forward has the opportunity to play in a position he’s comfortable in. Also, he can thrive and ease into the Oilers lineup, and try to improve as part of the bottom-six.

Through his career, Strome has shown that he can serve as a physical presence; he would be an outstanding addition to a checking line alongside Drake Caggiula and Zack Kassian. Not only would they bring a lot of physicality and solid defensive play to the table, but they could also improve offensively thanks to the addition of Strome and the continuous rise of Caggiula and Kassian.

In addition, he could also play on the top-six as a winger. Strome is a versatile forward who can play the wing and form chemistry with his teammates, and given his speed and skating ability, could benefit from playing with Connor McDavid. With him on the first-line wing, Draisaitl could get the chance to carry his own line as the second-line centre.

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Overall, Strome can slot into many different roles with the team, and with that being said, he will most certainly get a good chance to thrive with the Oilers organization.