Ryan Strome: “I think we’re really close to winning a Stanley Cup”
By baggedmilk
6 years agoOver at Sportsnet, they posted a quick media scrum with Ryan Strome where he gave his thoughts on being traded, landing in Edmonton, and just how close they are to winning a Stanley Cup.
Up to this point, we haven’t really heard too much from one of the newest Oilers and I think now would be a good time to break down this clip and get a little bit of info out of a guy that many of us don’t really know anything about. Ryan Strome, let us learn about you.
On being traded…
“I’ve never been traded before in my career. One time in junior, but that was my first year.”
One time I traded my own player in NHL ’13 so I guess that’s kinda the same thing. Right? Anybody? *waits for high five* What else?
“I’ve been with the same team for a while and was very familiar with that so a change of scenery will be nice. It will take me out of my comfort zone a little bit.”
After having a solid season two years ago, Strome has had two mediocre campaigns in a row and a chance of pace could be good for the guy. Personally, I really don’t know what to expect from Strome but I’d bet Wanye’s money that he’ll be better than the 30 point guy he was a year ago.
“I’ve had a long summer to try and get ready and I feel good. I’m looking forward to the opportunities ahead.”
I’m pulling for you, brother. We’ll need you.
On McDavid…
Seeing as one of Connor McDavid’s best friends is Ryan Strome’s brother then you’d expect that they know each other at least a little bit.
“(I know him) from being around my house and stuff like that, and watching all the games on TV, I was a pretty big Erie Otters fan for a couple years there – I followed a lot of their games.”
My big takeaway here is that Ryan Strome loves watching hockey so much, and is such a good sibling, that he spent a bunch of times watching junior games on TV feeds that likely looked as though they were shot with a potato. That’s love, man. That’s love.
“The familiarity is there, that’s for sure, and that obviously makes things a little bit easier.”
It goes without saying that knowing people at your new place of employment makes the transition easier, and that goes for any field. The fact that the guy he knows happens to be the best player on the planet and also the team captain should hopefully mean that his transition into the Oilers ‘it’ crowd should be that much easier.If you’re going to know someone on the new team, Connor McDavid is probably the best possible ally a guy can have.
On the Oilers…
One thing about Ryan Strome is that he probably got traded into one of the best situations he possibly could have. If the guy comes in guns blazing then he has the potential to make a bigger impact than some people, myself included, may have initially expected.
“There are some great players there to play with and it’s going to be good. I like the way they play.”
Right from the jump, you know he’s going to land himself in a top-six role, and probably going to get some power play time, which means that he’ll be in a spot to succeed alongside some very good players.
“I watched them a lot in the playoffs and I think they’ve got a great style.”
Hell yeah, they’ve got great style!
“Not only that, I think we’re really close to winning a Stanley Cup and that’s certainly exciting.”
OMG Ryan Strome thinks they’re close to winning and I just felt my mouth start watering. The idea of winning anything at all for that matter is something that Oilers fans haven’t had in a long time, so any time someone talks about them being contenders makes blood rush to my daddy button.
“To jump into a team that’s well on their way is a huge honour and it’s going to be a good opportunity.”
Like I said, I don’t think Strome could have landed in a better spot for his fresh start. Yes, there will be pressure to perform but he’ll also be able to play with some pretty damned good forwards regardless of which line he plays on. That has to be exciting for a guy that’s had a couple of tough seasons in a row.
On where he’ll play…
One of the things that I like about Strome is the fact that he can play more than one position. Anybody that has read my shit with regularity knows how much I love adding centres to the roster and Chiarelli brought in another one in Ryan Strome.
“Not too sure. I think the fact that I can play both positions is definitely beneficial.”
You’re Gord damned right it’s beneficial, Stromer! Remember when Ryan Smyth had to take shifts at centre? Pouliot? Taylor Hall? None of them worked and that’s because the Oilers were trying to pound square pegs into round holes and having a plethora of centremen can only help. What else?
“Look at Todd McLellan’s teams in San Jose and now in Edmonton, I think they have guys all over the lineup that can play centre and wing. Hopefully, that’ll play into my favour.”
Testify! In San Jose, Todd McLellan often played with four centremen in his top-six and that’s an option that looks like it could be a reality as early as this season. More centremen! Go out and get 12 of them, as far as I’m concerned. I love it.
“I’m just going to do my best and fit in wherever I can.”
Check this guy out! Just happy to be here, seems like. Humble like a good Canadian boy.
Check out the full interview here:
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