Habs Trade Target: Dylan Strome

He may not be the most enticing name on the market, but he would prove to be a solid veteran who could be the perfect stopgap option until the Habs’ top prospect, Michael Hage, is ready to take on the reins of 2nd-line centre after the 2027-28 season, when Strome’s current contract is up. However, even if the Canadiens realize that Hage isn’t ready to take on such a responsibility after completing a full NHL season, Strome, at age 31 by the summer of 2028, will still be young enough to extend for another 2 years or so if things work out. Currently, Strome has another 2 years left on a contract that pays him a very reasonable $5 million per year, which would allow the Habs flexibility to make more moves such as adding a top 6 winger, and a right-handed defenseman to play alongside Lane Hutson in a top 4 role.

Strome may be coming off a down year compared to what he had put up previously with the Capitals, but his linemate Alex Ovechkin also took a step back offensively, which hurt his assist numbers a little bit. He also took a dip below 20 goals for the first time in 5 years as he finished with 19 goals. Despite the drop in production, Strome’s 19 goals and 58 points are still very respectable for a 2nd-line centre. The only worry is that his play continues to dip if he leaves the Capitals, although playing with a young Russian star like Ivan Demidov should allow him to produce similar numbers for the next couple of years.

Looking at Strome’s stats over the 4 seasons with the Capitals, he is good to put up between 55-70 points a season the regular which may drop a bit if the Habs were to get him as he would like get a lot less power play time being on the 2nd PP unit. Still playing with Demidov, who is a developing talent, and another skilled winger on the other flank could allow him to still get close to 60 points with the majority of his production coming at even strength.

On the other hand, he has gotten a lot of production from playing on the top power play. This past year, 21 of his 58 points were on the man advantage, which is a good amount, but he has still proven that with 37 even-strength points, he can still be a very solid 2nd-line player. His production on the power play could also be something that helps jumpstart the Habs’ 2nd unit if he were to play in Montreal. Therefore, the offensive fit is clearly there for the Habs.

Another aspect of his game that he brings, which would be great for the Habs, is that he’s a very good faceoff guy. Normally, he roams around 52-53%, but this past season he had his best season in the faceoff dot, winning 58.2% of his draws in 2025-26. As mentioned when discussing Trocheck, Strome could allow the 2nd line to start with the puck more often than not, which should lead to more scoring chances by the line as a whole. With guys like Alex Newhook and Oliver Kapanen primarily being the 2nd line centres through the regular season, faceoffs were a significant problem at times as they would often need to defend rather than attack due to many faceoffs being lost.

While Strome would be a great fit for Montreal, his skating has always been a concern as he’s not the fastest guy, which means the offensive game might need to be based on slowing down the game on his line. Although as a big 6’4″, 200 lb player, he makes up for the lack of straight-line speed with his long strides. Therefore, he shouldn’t slow Demidov and his other linemate down too much if he were to be the Habs’ 2nd line centre.

Now to the reasons the Washington Capitals may be willing to move Strome during the summer. The main reason is that they just narrowly missed the playoffs and are heading towards a retool with a younger core of players that includes Ryan Leonard, the Protas brothers, Cole Hutson, among others, whereas players above the age of 25 are pretty much expendable to the Capitals, who likely won’t be serious contenders for the next few years. With that being said, the Habs have young assets like Owen Beck, Oliver Kapanen, and Adam Engstrom that fit the ages of the future of the Capitals, as well as a late 1st round pick to entice them more if need be.

Getting Strome may be one of the few options for the Canadiens where one of the big three prospects of Hage, Alexander Zharovsky, and David Reinbacher won’t need to be included in a trade, which is why it could be a good deal to make if they truly believe in Hage to be that guy someday. A potential offer to get Strome could be something like a choice between Oliver Kapanen or Owen Beck + a 1st round pick. The truth is Strome’s value likely isn’t at its highest, which can help the Canadiens get him at somewhat of a discount. However, only time will tell what the exact market will look like, as there should be many potential centres on the market. It’s just that Strome may be one of the best buy-lows among the options.

Would you like to see Strome be acquired by the Habs?