When you have a player that leads the AHL in scoring, is a former third overall pick, a 6'4 centre with high-end talent and who comes in and finishes up the year on a point per game pace, it's weird when he barely makes your team the following October.
When you play that guy in limited minutes - about 11 mins per night on the fourth line - and his most common linemates are Lawson Crouse, Nick Cousins, and Christian Fischer and he can't score because his shooting percentage is 3% it's obviously best to give up on him.
I mean, what is the success rate of point per game AHL players in the NHL? Nearly 100%?
Do we know if shooting percentages normalize? Oh they do? Weird!
I find it so misleading that people rip on Strome and not the coach. Rick Tocchet is not a good enough coach to cost you Domi, Duclair and Strome. I mean, if there is a common denominator here, it's that the guy who plays Brad Richardson and Nick Cousins and Richard Panik over the most talented prospect in the organization really doesn't get much out of his scorers.
If the Coyotes had given Dylan Strome a fair chance, I'd be more on board with this trade. As is, I like that they realized they don't like him and gave him a chance to succeed elsewhere. But why didn't they give him that chance?
He finished last season as their highest points per minute player.
He was only percentage points away from being second on the team in points per minute on this years power play (not saying much, but don't blame Strome for that).
Sure, he had only 6 points in 20 games, but that is garbage time with losers and a terribly unlucky shooting percentage to boot.
Here is a tip you can take to the bank: when you're shedding talent because it doesn't fit your team's 'style' you've already ______ yourself. It's over.
Even the the Hawks were absolutely dominated last night (62% CF for Vegas) Strome played 14 minutes of 5v5 with Kane and Debrincat. Yeah, he's not good enough to play with Clayton Keller, but he can play with those guys!
Strome had a +12% CF relative to his team, and a 5v5 goal and assist.
They also gave him time on the second PP unit.
I've liked John Chayka, I think he's made some great moves and takes way too much crap for being young in an industry that recycles the same incompetent losers ad naseum.
But this is a desperate trade by someone trying to scrape into the playoffs this season for non-hockey reasons. It is the trade of a guy who doesn't want to admit the coach he hired is a giant garbage monster of the sub-Gritty variety.
It is probably the right move considering the team wouldn't play Strome and Schmaltz is a pretty decent pickup.
But the Coyotes will live to regret this.
If you're wondering, the Coyotes won, but Rantta was re-injured (shocker!) and ol'Schmaltzy got 16 minutes 5v5 (they never even tried to play Strome that much) and was a brutal 40% CF. Ironically, given his scouting report, he led the team in shots. He was on the 1st PP.
This reminds me of when the Miami Dolphins gave Ray Finkle's number to a goddamn dolphin and taught him to kick field goals.
Laces Out!
Tanner Out!
Stats from naturalstattrick.com
rage from a lifetime of popmusic