The Chicago Blackhawks do not plan on giving center Dylan Strome a qualifying offer by the 5 p.m. deadline on Monday, sending him to unrestricted free agency.
Strome was in the final year of a two-year deal with a $3 million cap hit. He was eligible for restricted free agency this offseason after not reaching the age or seasons played requirements for unrestricted free agency. His qualifying offer is $3.6 million, which likely played a role in the Blackhawks ultimately deciding to not qualify him.
Strome is a former third overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, originally selected by the Arizona Coyotes. He struggled to make the Coyotes lineup until the 2018-19 season, where he played the first 20 games of the season before the Coyotes dealt him and Brendan Perlini to the Blackhawks for Nick Schmaltz.
Strome has established himself as an NHL player with the Blackhawks, getting more consistent playing time and some more productivity as well. He had 60 goals, 94 assists and 154 points in 225 games with the Blackhawks, including 22 goals, 26 assists and 48 points in 69 games this season. He’s also seen his defensive game improve, with a 48.28% shot attempt share and 48.87% expected goal share at even strength. Normally those aren’t strong numbers, but they ranked fourth and third respectively on the Blackhawks this season.
Not qualifying Strome is one of a flurry of moves the Blackhawks are making to completely rebuild the franchise. They’ve already dealt Alex DeBrincat and Kirby Dach to get more first-round picks and took on Petr Mrazek’s contract to move up into the first round. Along with Strome, the Blackhawks also plan on not qualifying Dominik Kubalik, who scored 30 goals and got a Calder trophy nomination in the 2019-20 season.
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