The Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday signed center Ryan Strome, who is coming off a breakout season with the New York Rangers, to a five-year contract.
Strome's toughness was on display in the postseason this year, when he routinely tried to play injured as the Rangers won two series before bowing out in the Eastern Conference Finals to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Strome's skills were a fit on the Rangers' elite power-play, and his ability to distribute, while also finish, often drew the praise of first-year coach Gerard Gallant.
Strome played in 74 regular-season games, finishing with 21 goals, a career high, and 54 points. On a team with high-end forwards like Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider, Strome still managed an 18:19 average time on the ice, and had five power-play goals.
Seven months shy of turning 30 years old, this is a pivotal contract for Strome, a 2011 first-round pick of the New York Islanders, who had never hit 20 goals in his career before last season. Time will tell if his breakout campaign was a coming-of-age moment, or merely a byproduct of an explosive, high-scoring Rangers roster.
