It’s no secret that 26-year-old center Dylan Strome is having an absolutely incredible season. The third overall draft pick (2015) has six goals in nine games played this season and has proven to be an offensive weapon, especially when the Capitals need it most. Dylan Strome was picked up by the Capitals in 2022 and has settled into his place as a regular in the Capitals’ top six. Even when he is not scoring, Strome produces offensively at a mind-blowing rate– the forward had 16 scoring chances in Washington’s recent game against New Jersey. The sudden uptick in offense by Dylan Strome came after he was struck in the face with a puck in a game against the Montreal Canadiens. He quickly shook off the injury, stayed on the bench, and later went from no goals on the season to two, including the goal that forced overtime against the Canadiens. From that point on, Dylan Strome went on a tear, scoring six goals in five games, making him the Capitals’ leading goal scorer. At 57% on winning the faceoff, Strome is also the team’s best at the dot, consistently creating offensive opportunities for Washington from the get-go.
Throughout this season, but especially now in the absence of Nicklas Backstrom, Dylan Strome has found himself in the position of Alex Ovechkin‘s new right-hand man, but as of nine games into the season, has yet to tally an assist. This large gap between goals and assists makes Stromer the Capitals’ leading candidate for the Cy Young, a tongue-in-cheek honor awarded to the player with the largest number of goals and fewest number of assists. He has the largest number of goals by far, too– no one on the team has more than three so far. Out of his six goals, four have come in the third period, and three of those were game-tying, proving Dylan Strome to be clutch during late-game crunch time. To media, head coach Spencer Carbery noted that “… A lot is happening positively when he’s on the ice offensively.” He likes to produce close to the net, too, often just tapping the puck in, which is an unusual style of play for Washington. Coach Carbery has taken note of this, too, stating that “At some point, we need to get someone to the net, in the slot, picking up a rebound and deflecting the puck and screening the goaltender,” and Dylan Strome has shown himself to be that person time and time again. Hopefully, the rest of the team will give the close-to-the-net-play a shot after seeing how successful it has been in generating points. “Guys that score a lot of goals in this league go to the net hard and get rewarded,” said Strome. The career 14.9% shooter is actively sitting at 35.3%, so if the Capitals can continue to support him and play a well-rounded game, Dylan Strome could prove to be the secret weapon that the team so desperately needs. With an aging core crew, younger guys like Strome are essential to both the future of the team and the current team’s playoff chances. The Capitals face the Panthers, Devils, and Islanders next, so producing a high number of goals will be essential. The moral of the story? Get Dylan Strome close to the net, and you’ll be good as gold.
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