The Ducks are one of the apparent sellers heading into deadline season, but they don’t have many obvious desirable assets outside of pending unrestricted free agent defenseman Brian Dumoulin and goaltender John Gibson, whose rebound season could finally land Anaheim the trade return they’ve desired for years. However, in Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic’s latest trad board, he tossed center Ryan Strome into the mix for a deadline move. Strome is signed through the 2026-27 season at a $5MM cap hit.
While Anaheim has a thin center market going for them if they are indeed shopping Strome, there isn’t much else. As Johnston profiles, he’s a “decent middle-six option on a competitive team” but lacks much of any defensive acumen and often struggles in the faceoff dot. In terms of pure secondary offensive production, though, Strome is a more established and safer option than a breakout player like Ryan Donato, although he’ll provide most of his point production via assists and costs more than twice the money and has two years left on his deal.
There’s also the question of how aggressively the Ducks will push to offload him. Opting to sign veteran winger Frank Vatrano to a three-year extension last month muddies Strome’s role in the future as the Ducks continue to graduate prospects to the NHL past the halfway point of their rebuild. Strome’s money is likely better used elsewhere to land more impactful talents in free agency to support their young core, but with the Ducks operating closer to the cap floor than the cap this year with significant cap increases coming, that’s not much of a concern.
Moving Strome for a sizable return will almost certainly require general manager Pat Verbeek to retain some salary. Whether he views that as a prudent use of one of his two open retention slots through next season remains to be seen. Anaheim’s already used up one of their three on defenseman Cam Fowler, who will count against their books at a $2.5MM cap hit through 2025-26 after they traded him to the Blues in December.
The 31-year-old Strome is now in the third season of the five-year, $25MM pact he signed with Anaheim in free agency in 2022. The ex-Rangers pivot has clicked at a decent 0.52 points per game rate since arriving in Orange County, boosted by increased production in 2024-25. He’s recorded 7-23–30 through 54 games, and while those seven goals are on pace for his lowest total in nine years, his playmaking production means his overall production is coming at its best per-game basis since joining the Ducks. He’s also amid an uncharacteristically strong defensive campaign, recording a minus-four rating and 47.6 CF% at even strength that both check in as his best, by far, in Anaheim.
The line of Strome, Vatrano on the left wing, and Troy Terry on the right wing has been fairly effective recently. And the Ducks have been playing well. I really don’t see anyone in San Diego who is ready to step up. Glad I’m not the GM, lol.
KK swap with Carolina?
RBA should put the Svech/KK/Hall line back together. They looked good.
Svech is wasted with Staal and Martinook.
Strome never did live up to being picked fifth overall in 2011. I’m sure someone will bite for him. Third rounder?
Go to WAS and reunite with brothers Matt and Dylan for all three brothers in same organization!
But Strome will require retained money ( Per article) And Donato will not. He would just require a draft pick because he’s on a 2 million dollar contract that will be half over by the deadline. So who’s the safer pick again?
Donato will require a high draft pick. Strome would be more interesting to contenders wanting to keep higher picks– teams like the Leafs are reluctant to part with their first for players better than Donato. Don’t know if Donato will attract a first, but a 2nd/5th is a lot for a breakout rental.
IMO I would take Ryan Donato easily over Ryan Strome for several reasons that includes age difference, contract value, production quality, cap retention, & such. It would be an ease choice to pick from a GM’s perspective, I would say.
Strome is head and shoulders better than Donato.
Not really.
Statistically it’s not even close.