The Chicago Blackhawks haven’t re-signed Dylan Strome yet, even though Stan Bowman let fans know on the Blackhawks’ Talk Podcast that the team was in talks for a contract extension. He was quoted as saying they’re in the early stages of the contract, but that was Mid-October – we’re now in November.
“We’re still in the early stages of that, The contract for Dylan is not finalized yet. We’ve had discussions probably in the early going, but I think I would anticipate we’re going to get that done.”
It’s promising to hear Bowman talk about re-signing Strome, but he also said he was confident in re-signing Crawford. The team didn’t do that, and now they have three unproven goalies. In this case, Strome is 22, Crawford was 35-years-old.
How Will His 2019-20 Season Effect Strome’s Contract?
In 2018-19, Strome played 58-games with the Blackhawks. In those games, he scored 17-goals with 34-assists for 51-points. That’s not a bad turnaround after just scoring 16-points in 48-games with the Coyotes.
In 2019-20, Strome took a step back, even though he battled through some injuries. Again playing in 58-games, Strome scored 12-goals and 26-assists for 38-points. His season could shorten his extension, while also making him cheaper.
On the business side of things, a cheaper contract helps out the team. On a playing stand-point, if Strome cannot find the same success he found in 2018-19, the team could be in trouble, with their lack of center depth.
Finding the amount of money Strome is worth comes by comparing other contracts on the team. Dominik Kubalik, who scored 30-goals last season for the Blackhawks, was re-signed for two-years, $3.7 million per season. It’s fair to expect Strome could get the same length, but a cheaper deal because of his play last season. My guess would be two-years, $3.5 million for Strome.
When Will Strome Be Re-Signed?
There is some time to go before the NHL season begins. The expectation is January 1st, 2021. If that happens, there’s just under two months to get Strome re-signed. With that being said, It’s not time to panic. The time to panic would be towards the end of November-to-early December. If he doesn’t have a contract by then, the fanbase should start to worry.
It’s hard to believe he wouldn’t be a part of the future of the team. He has turned his career around since joining the Blackhawks in 2018. He’s a solid second center, finding the consistency the team needs right behind Jonathan Toews. At some point, Kirby Dach is expected to be that second-line center, but if Strome can bounce back stronger from last season, he will likely return to that role.
Strome Needs To Be Brought Back
Even if the team is rebuilding, Strome is a key piece to this team. It would be a mistake to not re-sign him, even if they were to receive draft picks in compensation. We’ve seen this before from Bowman, it’s better to avoid the situation as a whole than to roll the dice on getting rid of Strome. The team knows what they have in him, there’s no telling they’d get a better player in the draft.