Yahoo Sports Blackhawks Choice of Not Qualifying Dylan Strome Keeps Looking Worse
The Chicago Blackhawks acquired Dylan Strome during the 2018-19 season and this was a huge deal at the time for the team.
While acquiring a 21-year-old former third overall pick that hadn't broken out yet, the Blackhawks gave up Nick Schmaltz who had scored 21 goals and 52 points the season prior at age 21.
The risk paid off as Strome broke out immediately and finished the season with the Blackhawks having scored 17 goals and 51 points in the final 58 games. His production dropped the next two seasons, but then jumped right back up in 2021-22 to 22 goals and 48 points in 69 games. This was his last season with Chicago.
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Strome was able to be qualified for one year at $3.6 million by the Blackhawks, but the team instead let the 24-year-old go for nothing by not qualifying him and letting him hit free agency as a UFA. It's extremely rare that a team gives up on a young and talented player like this and gets absolutely nothing in return, especially after putting up the numbers he did in a bounce-back season.
It immediately came back to hurt the Blackhawks as even though the team dove right into a rebuild and got Connor Bedard with the first overall pick that following year, keeping Strome around wouldn't have changed a ton that season. But it would now.
Strome proceeded to sign with the Washington Capitals where he scored 23 goals and 65 points before following that up with 27 goals and 67 points. With his play, he is starting to really live up to the spot he was drafted. The 27-year-old is without a doubt a top-6 center, but a number one centerman on the Capitals.
Strome has been the perfect player to replace Nicklas Backstrom at center on Alex Ovechkin's line. Strome has exploded for 11 goals and 38 points in 31 games this season and it hasn't all come with Ovechkin either since the superstar is on the injured reserve.
One of the big things that the Blackhawks weren't able to upgrade in the off-season and are still lacking is a top-6 center. Less than three years after letting a very talented young center go for no return, it's only fitting that the mistake would be part of the problem in turning things around in Chicago.
Bedard is meant to be the number one center for the Blackhawks for a long time, but if the team had a 1-2 punch with Strome as the second line center, it would benefit the entire top-6 to spread out the attention.
Another solution with Frank Nazar having arrived in Chicago would've been to allow Bedard to play the wing on Strome's line as it has already been tried, except without a top-6 center to play alongside him. Strome's playmaking ability that has benefited Ovechkin would surely do the same for Bedard.
Letting Strome go isn't the only blunder of a move that the Blackhawks have made in recent years, but for their sake, it is the last one that sets the team back while they're trying to move forward quickly.
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